Stitch: Experiment 626
by JamesBond1
Summary: [Complete]
1. Prelude

This fiction does not correlate to any thing past, future and present events that had happened to Stitch. It does represent two stories, at which the time I could not seperate the ideas between the two. Stitch was not a cold bloodde killer, he never was and never will be. In this fiction he takes on the role of an assassin/mercenary type attitude. I am not one to tell you that you have to pick sides, it's a touchy issue on whether Stitch actually killed someone. Although most of the evidence leans towards the side that says he had killed some one. If you don't like the idea of Stitch being a four armed killing machine, think of this story as a place in a paralell universe where everything is opposite, and have fun.  
  
Stitch, Experiement 626, Jumba, Gantu, The Grand Council Woman, 625, Turo, and the orange suit 626 wears are all Disney related things, and are theirs. The story line is mine though.  
  
*************Some where in a galaxy*************  
  
Prelouge  
  
I, Doctor Jumba Jookiba, lead scientists of Galaxy Defence Industry (GDI) Master of Genetic enginering, have been in search for the ultimate fighting machine, one that can with stand anything that is thrown at it, an invulnerable life form. Mostly for the military, war seems to be brewing and is evident every where.  
  
I started using already living species, mutating them and inserting genes and Dna left and right. I noted no significant changes or special features. I was at a total loss, nothign seemed to be working.  
  
Then it hit me, "Jumba" I told myself " Why not create a new species, all of their own. While building creating them I could make them to my specs, ne weakness, do vulnerability to disease." It was perfect. And besides, what else could you do with a Masters in Genetic engineering?  
  
The first fifty were merely used for getting a feel for them. But the genetic code was unstable, causing most of them to die within a week. The ones that lived longer had it worse, they succumbed to disease and were falling apart, literally.  
  
Success follwed after experiment #165. I used a base sample of my Dna to create a stable foundation for them, besides they were like children to me anyway. Soon after was when the real progress started.  
  
Experiment # 327 was a real break through, she (yes a she ) could lift about one hundred times her size, due to the compact high tensile muscles packed in a unique formation. Highly advanced brain, she picked up on learning any thing she could get her hands on quickly, her brain operates at 50% capasity, twice as much as the average genious. Although she is a bit of a softy and doesn't like to fight or injure anything less than her, this was the forst effective failsafem just so she didn't get any ideas of domination of anyhting. She has become some what of my secretary, keeping files on the computer in the controll room and cleaning up after me. # 327 was a success because of her four retractable arms, huge sensitive ears to pick up any sound from any dirrection, an olfactory nerve that could smell the slightest trace of anything, the poisinous barbs were a great idea, rear defence, except to some unfortunate few. And the antena could detect air currents and pick up microwaves and radio waves, to a certain extent. These designs I carried onto my other experiments, because 327 was the ginea pig, i player arround with her Dna for months. Experiments 330-420 were mostly failures they tended to act unpredictably, most were psycotics due to a mix of unstable DNA that I discarded after viewing the results of many of them. It was only a small mistake though. # 625 was almost a mitake, I decided to give him an extensive personality (all my other experiments had personalities, but not like 625) his attitude towards me and my experiements was less than reasonable. 'A walking insult' I say, Although he does posess my latest features, two thousand time lifting power, a super brain and unfortunately a craving for objects between bread. It's repulsive to watch his put random things on bread and try them, once he put a trysith (a Turian slug) with a quart of crystallic liquidater between two pieces of bread. Need less to say he didn't put anything that moved onto bread again, along with a week long fever.  
  
Experiment # 626 was different. He would only have two personalities, one was that of destruction and un-conciously killing anything that crosses him. The other would have to develope when he decided what he was. He was of a Blue color ( I chose this for reasons of cammoflouge and for hiding in the dark) with a light blue stomach and arround his eyes. The eyes themselves are improved, the big pupil-less eyes have perfect vision in all kinds of light, in addition to infared, and a sort of isotope type vision he could see even the most cammoflouged species of alien. The ears were unusually large, perfect for picking up all noise within 0-500+ decibles, I am sure nothing would be able to assault him from behind. His skin, or more like short fur, is made from a blend of several fire and destruction proof polymers. The bones of 626 are quite impressive too, they are mixed with a metal like substance the is made from titanium and a special modified steel to make them virtually and hypotheticly unbreakable, they also give him most of his weight and render him useless in swimming anywhere. The antena are also important to his senses, they pick up radio, radar and any other signals. They also detect movements that disturb the molecules in the air. The poisin in the barbs on his back are a real accomplishment, it took me nine months to prepare, modify and purify the toxins in them, almost instant death occours when the poisin enters the blood stream. The poisin is more like an acid, it begins eating at your spinal colomn, it dissolves the optic nerves, then siezes the brain, all in a matter of at most three seconds. 626 is, of course immume to his poisin, as with all toxins and the other experiments poisin. The large dark blue nose is the only single most important feature, it has the olfactory nerve sensitive enough to pick up the slightest trace of anything in the air. I mannaged to fit all these features into a small for 2/3 of a meter (2 foot)  
  
I leave you with this, Experiment 626 has been my ultimate creation, I hope that in the future some one would appreciate my work as a Scientist of Universal benefit and greatest Genetic Doctor of all space. 


	2. Birth

Chapter 1 " Birth"  
  
The big alien stood at a pannel, which knobs and switches littered. His white lab coat moved as he raised his arm to check his watch, he muttered something as he moved over to the table of medical instruments. He nervously galnced at each one, he never knew when he'd need to use them. He had a pair of ear muffs on, due to his special way of 'learing' his experiments. This method was his, he had created it.  
  
It has been proved that whenver the body is a sleep or resting, the mind is still able to take in information and store it accordingly. So he took audio files from every language and started simple. Basic launguage skills, baby stuff, then more advanced, then very soon he go to the point of running several of these lessons at once, and the experiments could understand them due to thier procedure of processing the information at astonishing rates. So in effect they could learn most of what they would need to know, basic and advance languages, proper speach, and depending on how long they were down, the basics of mathematics and so on. But 626 had been under alot longer, he had learned advanced physics, meta physics, the black hole theorum and any other audio file he got his large hands on.  
  
The ailen's name was Dr. Jumba Jookiba, he was from the medium, weighted species of the Vlenn. He had graduated from the School of medicine and took a part time job as a Doctor for several years, then pursued a degree in genetics. After several years he broke some of the boundries and advanced genetics farther that any one person in the known universe.  
  
The Vlenn stood approximately five feet tall, average. The species tended to look fat, their thick limbs and stomach looked like they ate all day, but it was evolutionary they had slowly evolved to look like that. Their legs were as thick as tree trunks and boasted excellent muscle power.Thier large heads had four eyes, two primary that saw in regular color, and the secondary pair that acted like a hindsight so to speak. They only had two arms, unlike most of the other species living on Turo now. Power, their history was full of it, not scocially or governmental their power was laid in the huge brains. They soon became the most technically advanced species on Turo, their native planet. Anchient Turian historians tend to argue over who of the two species had been more advanced, the Vlenn or the tall thin creatures known as the Serdials. More evidence pionted to the Vlenn as the primary brains, but several finding have wavered that standing.  
  
Dr. Jumba adjusted the climate controlls, cooling the small room down to a low temperature of 78.5 degreeze, the atmoshpere that was most suitibly fit to bring an experiment through.He looked over at the huge cryogyn capsule that held his latest creation, Experiment number six- hundred and twenty six, he hoped that 626 wouldn't go critical and die on him. Several experiments had died from this.  
  
Critical Cryogyn Syndrome as it was called, it happend when the occupant of the cryo tube was so immersed into his sub-conscious that when was awakened his mind thought it was a dream, the body stopped all functions to try and wake up the mind from reality. When this happened, little could be done to save the occupant, Jumba hoped to God that this would not happen, not to experiment 626, he was too smart for that to happen. He read the alien letters on the clock, ' six more hours' he thought looking at the capsule that held experiment number 626. He walked over to the audio emitter and turned the volume down, this would be his last session.  
  
He sighed, and walked over to the tube, it looked like a leviathan to the two foot alien inside. Jumba grabbed one of the handles that held the capsule shut, he twisted it, a slight hissing noise emitted from inside, frost sped over inside from the rapid change in temperature.  
  
Jumba finished unlocking all the latches on the huge cryo capsule, and swung the lid over, revealing the blue alien inside. Wires and monitoring devices were attached onto 626, most on his large head so that Jumba could monitor high brainwaves and mental stability, the others were medical probes that could make last minute adjustments to 626's genetic code. He carefully removed these wires, being careful so that he didn't mess up the short fur covering 626's body. When he did 626's breathing stuttered several times while his brain took over the breathing from the computer. Jumba carefully picked up the stretcher that the experiment lay on, he carried over to the table in the center of the small white room. He placed a small, heavy blanket over the still alien who's mind was still in hybernation. A look only a mortition could pull off was on the experiement's face, almost like a sad grimmace. Jumba set a timer for five hours and dimmed the light in the lab. He walked out of the room and the automatic door hissed behind him, he was letting Experiment 626 warm up while Jumba took a break for a cold Turian brew.  
  
*  
  
Experiemnt 626 was his first and only fighting machine, he decidide to save the best for last. Before 626 he'd had 625 experiments to practice on, only when he felt ready did he create the in-fallible 626. The others were just steps up to this, to glory to fame and hopefully a litle rest, after all he'd been creating experiments for fifteen years now. His funding had been pulled after two years, then the military lost interest.  
  
The small pinkish alien sat at the main computer in the center that controlled all of tha lab that Jumba owned. Experiment # 327, his greatest achievement so far, sat at the compter watching the local news on the mainstream, her big ears were folded against her head, she nervously scraped at the dest on which the computer sat, she too was anticipating the "birth" of the new experiment. 327 was generally mild mannered, respecting Jumba and all his work, but was a wussy when it came time for her to go throught the required training. But when things got rough that didn't stop her from slinking away, she could stand her ground and fight. She also liked to joke alot, usually in compromising sutiations.  
  
Her features were that of all of Jumba's experiments, her pink body had the same features, quad arms, the uppermost being primary. The three small, stuby barbs on her back were tipped with black, as was her nose, and a small white band seperated the pink from the black. She had a light light blue stomach, that color was also arround her eyes. The six inch antena were tipped with a blue-pink hue, fading as it went down. Every other experiment lusted for her company, except 625, that slob would be better off in a garbage incinerator, those were her thoughts. She brought some sort of level of personal pleasure to the experiments, although she never went farther than a breif kiss, it was enough to send them running for more. It was something Jumba couldn't explain, physically or even at the sub-routine examination could reveal.  
  
The room in which the pink alien sat was a fair size, twenty by twenty, and was littered with computer equipment of all shapes and sizes, wires trailed all over the ground, and out of the wall from all the other equipment from arround the lab. The huge, Earth borrowed, Cray XMP2 sat in the corner, it was capable of running at the speed of 4mil revolutions a second making it the fastest copmuter in the galaxy, matched only by the soon to be great experiment 626. The long grey tables were loaded with testing equipment and other ammenities. Bland dark wood linned the wall, stopping at five feet and a sandy colored wall continued up the rest of the way.  
  
The door hissed open, 327 jumped she was so tense, she felt better when Jumba's voice floated across the room "Almost five hours to go, 327" he mumbled to her, knowing her accute ears would pick it up. 327 turned arround to face him with a solomn stare, " You know that you shouldn't sneak up on innocent , unsuspecting experiments" she told him. "Innocent, eh?" he joked. "Must be nervous." Jumba said to himself, 327 of course heard it."What's he going to be like?" she asked, Jumba looked at her "Don't worry 327 you'll see." This just increased her anticipation. 327 slouched back down in the high chair that had been specially built for her. "He's not helping." she grunted.  
  
625, on the other hand, was in the kitchen doing what he did best, making a sandwich. He used some molded over meat and a liqiud labeld 'Test sample 2, DO NOT EAT' he put it on the bread anyway, besides Jumba's experiments could digest anything from his aunt's rice pudding to radioactive isotopes, wich were both equally potent. He hadn't a care in the world, except the liquid spilled on his stomach, he wiped it up with a towel.  
  
625 was also the same as the rest of the experiments, two foot tall, barbs and such. His color scheme was that of aquamarine and a dark blue stomach the same blue color was arround his eyes. Although he had considerably shorter ears that the rest. Jumba swore that 625's stomach bulged slightly, even though they had an ultra high metabolism that burned up access fat, so theroretically they could never get fat, then there was 625.  
  
327 burst into the kitchen saying "Six more hours!" 625 ignored her, he was busy finishing his sanwich. She continued " Only SIX more hours, 625 aren't you anxious?" 625 gave a look like a phirahna had eaten his prized sandwich, "NO," he said, with little enthusiasm, "Have you been drinking Jumba's deodorant again?" he laughed. 327 gave a piercing stare, she though she'd never live that one down, she watched 625 shove a corner of the sandwich into his mouth, 'What a pig' she thought. She got an evil idea after she noticed the bottle marked 'Test sample 2, DO NOT EAT', "Uh, 625 you used Jumba's experiment laxitive on your sandwich," she pionted to the bottle. 625 stopped chewing,and peered into his sandwich, he dropped it and ran to the bathroom. When 327 thought he was gone she let out a laugh "You're so gullible 625" she continued laughing. The bottle actually contained an experimentative synthetic plastique compound that when ignited would burn for hours and couldn't be put out. "Now if only I could get him to eat some fire or something" she mumbled to herself. She really didn't mean that, she and 625 were good friends that tended to joke arround alot.  
  
* * *  
  
625 spent the next two hours waiting in the bathroom, untill he realized what the bottle really contained. His eyebrows almost were fried off his head he was so mad. He'd have to get 327 back in some way. He found his sandwich right where he had dropped it, and went off to find Jumba and 327.  
  
Jumba was in the in the cryo room, he was doing some last second changes. 625 entered the room with an air of royalty arround him, he dind't give a care about the new experiment, he or it was just another thing for Jumba to cherish, and boast about to the other scientists. 625 hated that, Jumba tended to neglect his duties, and not to mention forgetting to get more bread when he went out with the other scientists and gambled such other things Jumba swore he wouldn't understand. He hopped up onto one of the big stools sitting at the corner of the table on which 626 was laying.  
  
Jumba was preparing to pull 626 out of cryo sleep, he'd readied the cameras for complete documentation. The heart beat monitor showed 626's pulse, it was at a steady beat. The air scrubbers hummed from where they sat, high up in the corners. Jumba took to the controll panel, he turned up the oxygen percentage in the small chamber, the increase in oxygen caused 626 to breathe heavier, that was good, breathing heavy in a saturated enviroment oxidized the blood. Jumba brought a thin piece of metal bent like a head band with two wires trailing out of it and placed it arround 626's head. A monitor in the corner showed a white line on a black background, as soon as the band was on 626's head the line began to spike. He slowly walked over to the panel again and slowly turned up a dial on the board, then pushed a red button. The white line on the screen jumped, then returned to normal, Jumba turned the dial up several more notches, then hit the red button. The line spiked again, this time it stayed like that.  
  
The blue experiment opend it's eyes and looked up. His mind started to run through all the memory thet had been placed there. He slowly sat up, Jumba watched, he rubbed his eyes to rid himself of sleep. The silence was eerie, no one spoke a word, 626 just looked arround, taking in all the data from the room. 625 broke the silence "Say something bonehead!" Jumba reached out to stop him, he succeded in knocing 625 off the stool. "That," Jumba said, " ...was 625, the noisy twit, I'm Jumba, Doctor Jumba Jookiba, and you are my experiment, experiment 626, or just 626. Which ever you like." Jumba grinned. "I'm leaving, see you blubber head, have fun with your new toy." 625 mumbled as he walked out from the room. 626 still said nothing, he yawned then tried his speach. "626." The blue experiment grinned, pleased at the sound of his voice, he tried again. "Jumba." The huge scientist let out a small laugh. "You amuse me, 626." Jumba chuckled. 626 froze, a blank expression on his face, Jumba saw this and took a few steps toward the door. "Six, two and six, 25.0199920063936071594091994012458 to the second power. Six hundreds, two tens, six ones. Six hundred twenty six." he blurted out. Jumba grinned. 626 was already showing signs of advanced levels of intelligence.  
  
"What...is 626." the alien on the table asked, as more of a statement though. "626, the number after 625. One more than 625. My six hundred twenty sixth creation." Jumba told him, being as simple as possible before he could analyze 626's memory intake from the 'sessions'. Number 626 though for a second, "No name, no 'Joe', or 'Resnyk', Just 626?" Jumba shook his head, "Nope. Just 626." Jumba watched him look arround. "What's the matter?" "Nothing, you said there were 626 of your creations, And so far there's only been two, where's the rest?" he asked, suprized. Jumba sighed. "It is more complicated than it looks. Of 626 genetic experiments, most were killed off by disease, most weren't mentally right, others just died of old age. There are a total of 30 of my experimetns still alive, most are cryogenicly frozen for later use, but 625, 327 and several others are around, they help me out arround here, except 625 he's too lazy to do anything. Does that answer anything?" The blue experiment nodded.  
  
Jumba performed some tests on 626, most were useless, but none the less he preformed them any way. Routine and procedure, that was what Jumba was all about. 626 just stared into space still thinking about any thing that popped into his mind. Jumba got worried, 626 should be doing something destructive, or maybe he was developing his other personality. He sided with the second excuse. 626 had passed every test he'd done with flying colors. Jumba spoke up "I'll give you a tour of my facilities, if you want" 626 looked at him "Sure, anything to get out of this room" Jumba walked out of the small room, 626 jumped to the floor and staggered arround drunkenly for a few seconds then slowly gained a sense of balance. He followed Jumba out.  
  
Jumba owned arround ten percent of the whole sceintific compound. His lab was composed of six parts, The living quarters were unusually large for a lab, it really only had two bed rooms, the rest were small offices that were made to look like bedrooms. Most were filled with bunks that the other experiments slept on, the more important experiments had their own rooms. Two huge labs filled with all kinds of equipment, computers and such. A restricted access vault held all of Jumba's codes, reasearch files and the documentations of the experiments. A freezer that was filled with all the failed experiments, all frozen for medical purposes and later research. Next to the freezer was the cryo chambers, Jumba strictly forbid 626 to go in there. Jumba's office that was crammed with books, all his writings. The controll room that controlled all of his part of the complex and held all his public records. And a public auditorium that was shared by all the scientists in the compound.  
  
Then Jumba stopped at a door that was just one of the many that linned the hall, this one was just off the main hall, byu the kitchen. "....And here is you room 626," he pushed open the door revealing a ten by ten room with flat grey walls and two beds, boxes were stacked up in the corner, one served as a table. A single bulb was the only thing to light the windowless room. "Oh, by the way, you share this room with 625." Jumba laughed and then shut the door, leaving 626 alone.  
  
626 walked into the dimly lit room "At least it's got a...." he struggled for the right word "Bed, that's it." He did a 360 survey of the room, he turned to his left. Two red lockers he didn't notice bofore stood by the door, one marked 625 and the other 626. He smiled as soon as his brain computed the markings, a locker with his name on it! The next thing he did was bounce on the bed that was made, his light weight allowed him to fly high into the air. After several minutes he stopped, that got boring fast. He left the room and strolled to the kitchen, letting his clawed paw scratch the wall and peel the wood off as he went.  
  
625 was busy at the low counter Jumba had made for his small experiments. He had several jars of liqiud and some bread spread out before him, the descision was so hard to make, should he try something new or not? he wielded the small knife like a delicate instrument, he heard a noise. 626 entered the kitchen and immediately walked over to where 625 was. "Whoa there cretin!, don't get to close! Master chef at work!" 625 shouted. "More like master of the garbage can." 626 tried to match an expression with the remark, but only ended up sticking his tounge out. "He does talk ! " 625 said sarcasticly, ignoring 626's comment. He resumed his sandwich making, 626 mean while discovered the refridgerator. He rummaged through it, looking for something to eat. 626 found a huge cut of meat sitting on a platter, he removed it from the plate it sat upon, and chewed on it.  
  
625 got agrevated when he heard a crunch, he turned arround to see 626 munching on a bone, meat still hung from it. "Could you be any louder?" he asked. 626 crunched down hard, then chewed with his mouth open. "GAUGHH!" 625 grumbled. 626 approached him from behind again, 625 decided to scare him. He turned arround quickly, he hissed and bared his teeth. 626 did what came naturally, he viewed it as an attack, he attacked back.  
  
The two experiments rolled on the floor of the kitchen snarling and hissing. 625 threw several punches 626 shrugged them off as he pulled 625's antenna. 625 tried to keep 626 from grabbing his arms, but 626 was stronger and kept comming. 625 threw his arms over his face to protect it.  
  
Jumba walked in, unaware of the fight. "Whoa!" he exclaimed, when he saw 625 throw a punch, 626 blocked it. He grabbed a pitcher of water from the counter and threw it on the squabbling experiments. 626 immediately rolled away from 625, neither of them liked water thrown upon them. They both stood up and faced Jumba. "Who started that?" he asked. 625 pointed to 626, "He was throwing my sandwiches, and nearly ripped my arm off." he lied. 626 punched him in the arm, Jumba shot him a stare that could bend steel. 626 looked up, an embarased look was on his face, he pulled nervously at the tuft of fur on this light blue chest, "I uh.... something happened, felt like something snapped inside. And I couldn't controll myself." he grinned sheepishly, hoping Jumba would buy that. "626, you were created to distroy, but please not here in the lab." Jumba looked at him. He looked at his watch, It was really late "Time for bed " he stated. 625 paused to get his sandwich then he and 626 trudged off to their room. Jumba followed behind them.  
  
626 laid on his bed, 625 did the same. Jumba turned out the light, "Good night, my little experiments. We have lots of things to do tomorrow so get some sleep." he shut the door on his way out. 626 gazed up at the ceiling, despite the fact he wasn't tired he slowly drifted off into sleep.  
  
*  
  
327 couldn't wait, she had butterflies in her stomach. She was ready to leap up and find Jumba, but as she was finalizing somethings on the computer, then Jumba walked into the room. He sat down rather hard on the couch in the corner and it creaked under his weight. He looked completely exausted. 327 grinned. "Don't even think about it, he's sleeping." Jumba groaned. 327 frowned. "Maybe later." he moaned. "When later?" 327 pestered him. "I said later, I mean later." Jumba growled. "It's getting late, and it's time for you to go to bed." he lied.  
  
327 looked up at the clock on the wall, "It's only-" "BED!" Jumba yelled. 327 walked out of the room, leaving Jumba to his computers. 


	3. Testing

Testing  
  
The golden sun dawned on Turo, casting shadows from the buildings onto the ground. A fine dew covered the grass and a sweet smell of a light rain hung in the air. Bugs native to the planet hummed at the approaching daylight, their song filled the air with a different tune than that of the cruisers floating about the place. Smoke drifted into the clear morning sky, creating a haze that hung for several hours. The crescendo of voices shouting echoed in the distance, an alien language no one on Earth had heard. Birds or if you could call them birds floated through the air on unseen currents, high above the surface. A beautiful day.  
  
His mind raced, some thing still lingered there, a thought that would not move. Something clawed at the back of his mind, it wouldn't go away, a craving for something to destroy, some thing to eradicate from existance. It was a dark feeling, crawling over him, up his spine and into his head, it made him shiver. He tried as hard as he could to remove it, no avail. The silence his ears sent to his brain was eerie, he was used to machine huming and other lab noises. Another feeling swept over him.  
  
Cold, it was cold that forced him awake, his vision blurred. The charcoal black eyes opened and stared, he felt thoughts moving through his head, things from yesterday, all the sounds from the audio lessons. The vision of the small blue alien focused, the room was still dark. He slowly recalled the events of the past day, Jumba, 625 who he took immediate dis-liking to. And something of more to come. Some thing else, something more. He forced himself up, the cold bit at him again. His head swam for a second, getting used to sitting up from a flat position was something his body wasn't accustomed to yet. The blanket that he'd placed on himself lay on the floor, a wrinkled mass of fabric.  
  
The lights slowly lit, this confuzed him. They must have been motion activated. The unsurpressable urge hit him again, he needed some thing to desacrate. The same dark creeping feeling. He stood up and stretched his limbs, yawning he turned to 625's bed. He hoped this would stop the craving for an object to distroy. He grinned, revealing a set of not-so-pointy, but still sharp teeth. He lunged at the defenceless bed.  
  
*  
  
625 had woken up several hours earlier, the time was now 1100 hours, military time. He filled his morning routine with making several sanwiches and putting all but one into the refridgerator, which he now chewed on. He used the same bottle that had the plastique earlier. Besides the bread the sandwich had an overall texture and taste of sand, or coarse garvel. He sipped slowly at a cup of Tersian tea, Jumba's experiments were not allowed to have coffee, he'd found that out early. The caffine in the coffee reacted with the nerves on of the experiments, sending impulses of total uncontrollable random emotional swings. This was a problem because he based his experiemnts actions on thier moods, thus a happy peaceful experiement was less likely to wreck something than a testy-edgy experiment.  
  
625 shared company with 327 and the only experiment with a name, well not a real name unless X was an exception. 327 was an early experiment so she had the luxury of coffee which she slowly sipped at while reading the daily news on a datapad, she was like that, reading anything she could. 625 sat by her, reading over her shoulder and half eaten crousant. X hummed at the next small table, reading a Jules Verne, the sea had alwas interested him, although he barely swim.  
  
X was black, all black, he was one of the early experiments, number 97, or somewhere arround that number. He was the oldest of the experiments, a veteran as Jumba called him. He wasn't really smart, oh he had basic skills, but none that rivaled the later experiments, he was sort of Jumba's janitor. His character was a deep one, like to talk, if you brought up the right subject, eager to laugh and was almost constantly humming a tune from another planet. He had run many missions for Jumba on many planets, he always had a good story to tell. He had named himself X that was on a label a poisin gas cylandar he'd stolen from Trescus.  
  
625 heard it first, a shrieking sound of metal being pushed into permacrete, but he wasn't sure. It had hurt his small ears. It came again, more clearly now, "327" he whispered to her, "Listen," .......nothing. She now hummed tunelessly ignoring the pestering twit. " Listen!" he said in an audible voice, she stopped, "What?" she asked. "Just listen" 625's voice trailed off. He heard it, loud and clear, the sound again, the shrilly screetch, he shivered. "What am I waiting for?" she asked, unaware of the noise. X was oblivious of the conversation, he'd reached the part with the giant squid, he couldn't put it down, "Forget it" 625 slid out of the kitchen. "If only they had a cure for doormats." she sighed.  
  
Jumba had heard the noise too, he ran down the hall toward the sound. It apperaed to be comming from 626 and 625's room, 'imagine that', he thought. He was almost past the kitchen's dark door, it opened suddenly, something ran out. It ran right under his feet. "Gaughhh!" he fell face first into the cold floor. "Six two--! " he paused, he wasn't sure of the next digit, with all of the experiments running arround the place, he looked back, 625 was sprawled on the floor, "Five!, your always under foot!" Jumba yelled. "So turn me into a doormat." was his cocky reply as he recovered. "I plan to." Jumba grumbled as he stood up, and continued his run down the hall.  
  
The door was bowed out to the extent one could see inside a tiny bit. "GAGHH-." Jumba was stopped, another high pitched shrill pierced the air. He knocked on the door, "626!, open the door right now!" he yelled. A noise came from inside, a shuffle, "Who are you to ask me to do this for you?" came the repy. 'Uho' Jumba thought, he feared 626 had not retained any information from the past day. "625, you're going to have to break the door in." Jumba told him. "Not my forte` fatty. I only make sandwiches, you want one, call me." 625 announced. "You're useless 625, remind me to infect you with my latest leprogenic viris." Jumba shoved him aside. "I can't, too lazy to remember." 625 retorted.  
  
Jumba grabbed the knob on the door and pulled hard. The wooden baracade didn't budge, it stayed shut. "I really wish you'd help." he said to 625, but the aquamarine experiment wasn't listening. Jumba tried again, this time putting his feet on either side of the door and pulling. He tried untill his face turned red, but still nothing. "626!" he yelled. This time he tried pushing instead of pulling, it opened without any force. "Dr. Jumba Jookiba, the greatest genetic doctor in all the galaxy, evil geneous, inventor. But still can't open one way doors." he luaghed.  
  
Jumba was at a loss of words. The room was a total wreck, three of five pole from 625's bed were shoved into the wall, and barely stuck out, save several inches. The air was more like a blizzard, the remnants on 625's small mattress floated freely in the air. The blue four armed alien sat in the middle of the room, grinning like a schoolboy. Red crossed Jumba's face, he seemed to raise the temperature by twenty dereeze, 626 looked at the volcano on temper, he drooped his big ears down, in a sign of remorse and turned away, staring at the floor. "626, if you are going to distroy anything, make it OUT side my lab facilities" Jumba said crossly.  
  
625 snaked out from the door way. Upon seeing his bed, now floating in the air, he screamed like a little girl, "My bed!, what have you done to my bed?!!" In an act of desperation, he ran about collecting all the pieces he could catch. "You!... You!...... abomination from hades!!.....I oughta....." he fumed. "625, be quiet, or I'll get my syrenge." Jumba said comically. 625 threw the pieces down and stompped out of the room in a fit of anger.  
  
Jumba cast a glare down on 626, he smiled evilly, "I think you are ready for training." he waded through the sea of feathers ot 626. "Get a uniform out of the locker, 626," Jumba spoke,"Then follow me." he said coldly.  
  
626 padded over to the locker, twice the size of him. He creaked open the red door. Inside he found three shelves with three uniforms on each, he pulled one from the stack. It was orange, an unusual color, with brown tiangular elbow pads, the knee pads were square ( He soon found they doubled as pockets), one also sat on the chest area. The materiel felt soft in his small four-clawed hands, but the weight told hit that it was well made. A rubber-like substance was made into cuffs on all the orifices of the suit, it stretched easily, then returned back to original size. He opened the neck hole so that his body could fit through into the combat suit. He slipped his legs and four arms into the designated holes, the barbs he slipped through the small hole in the rear, his small stub of a tail poked out also. The suit was loose arround his arms and legs, when he stretched he found out why, it didn't decrease the motion of his arms and legs. He spotted a black belt on the door of the locker, he slipped that on, in the brown buckle sat a homing device, so as long as the suit was on him Jumba'd know where he was. He quickly warmed up, but didn't get too hot, the suit had pores that let extra heat escape.  
  
He emmerged to find Jumba waiting, in his hands was a clipboard, filled with tattered papers. "Took long enough." he mumbled. "This way." He started to walk off to the end of the hall. The suit was uncomfortable at first as he walked. He hadn't ever worn any thing in his short life, so it was a new experience for him. Several minites of walking cured that, he soon didn't notice it at all.  
  
The long white hallways seemed to run on forever, never stopping. The white wall was interrupted by the dark wooden doors, although they were never frequent they still appeared none the less. None of the doors were locked, save the huge vault and the front entrance, they didn't need to be. Jumba's lab was only one sector of the vast complex, all of them were cut off from each other, aside from a huge octangular room in the dead center of it. Seven of the eight led to other labs, the eight one went throught to the front entrance of the huge complex. Private loading docks ensured no one could 'borrow' any records or experiments, Jumba had no fear of intruders, all his experiments were trained to kill, if necessary.  
  
Jumba led 626 into the controll room. He thought it was strange that 327 was not inside. "626, try to sit still untill I finish a call." Jumba told him. "And if I have to tell you to be quiet, or stop anything, It'll be your head." Jumba picked up a rather large object and pushed some numbers on the reciever. 626 however found the computer, he climbed up on the chair and stared at the keyboard for several seconds before he started to do something. He remembered the lesson about the computer. Before long he was anywhere and everywhere on the highway of information, the internet. After Jumba was finished with his call he put the phone back on the hook and pried 626 away from the computer.  
  
The two entered the huge octangular room, Jumba locked the door behind him. He walked over to a door with alien lettering on it, he knocked. A two by five slot at eye level slid open, brown peircing spheres stared out, they spotted Jumba and softend, no longer a cold stare but one of a friendly welcome. "Oh, hello Jumba, come right in." a deep voice said. The slot closed, a beep and the door raised up. A tall thin, elongated alien stood on the other side, the white lab coat too short for his long three fingered arms, it was opened and revealed a black under shirt. The shirt was tucked into a pair of brown pants that hid his elephant like feet. On top of his long head were stripes of two colors, brown and a light green. He wore a pair of thin wire rimmed spectacles. "What can I do for you?" Zri asked. "Experiment 626 is ready for testing now." Jumba answered. "And where is 626?" Zri looked arround. "He's right...." Jumba looked down, he was gone."Oh no." he mumbled. He began looking arround in the octangular room, he looked under the bench and the two potted trees beside it. He glanced down the hall to the main entrance, nothing. A crash inside the lab confirmed his suspicion. "He's already let himself in." He mumbled as he passed Zri who was helping in the search.  
  
The big genetic scientist and the thin tactician walked down the hall towrad where the had been heard. The brown door was the only one open in the hall, so they slipped inside. The scene was that out of a television mystery, lamps broken on the floor, books strewn about, couches turned over. 626 was chasing a weasel like creature arround the room, hissing and snarling as did the furry thing. Every few seconds he would lunge at it, but the weasel thing was fast, he landed on his face, got up and started chasing again. He spotted Jumba, "Don't stand there! get a stun gun or something!" he yelled as he ran about. "626 knock it off." Jumba yelled above the hissing of the weasel and 626's growling. 626 made a final dive for it, he ended up it a shelf full of books. The weasel, sensing the end of the chase, slinked off into a corner to hide. Jumba sighed, "Always have to have the last action don't you 626." The blue alien grinned. "He did bite me though, and it hurt." 626 held up his arm. Jumba srcibbled something down onto his clipboard. "I'm sorry," Zri apologized. "Patookie is like that arround strangers."  
  
Zri was a combat specialist, he'd joined the Galactic defence force when he was 19 earth years. He had a rough time at first, then on a distant planet him and several of his men were trapped with no way out. While on the planet he'd learned hundreds of combat tactics and guerilla warefare. Surving on the hostile planet was enough fight itself. Eventually the GDF made a rescue attempt and succeeded. He was promoted to Staff Sargeant and eventually became a tactician for GDF because he showed remarkable field planning while fighting when he was stuck on the planet. His part of the complex had training equipment and was also a lab for making soldier enhancement drugs. V-5 was his latest, it was a neural depressant that enabled the soldier to run up a beserker type attitude, he cared not for himself and viciuosly attacked the enemies without avail. But the side affect was that after it wore off the soldier went into a state of depression and despair for several days.  
  
Zri looked at 626, intrigued at the size and build, "I thought that you'd try another approach this time, thought that he'd be bigger, but whatever works for you." he mused. Jumba picked 626 up, who offered no resistance. "Just so you don't get any ideas." He followed Zri out of the room.  
  
"My aproach has always been the same. I did once try out a bigger species, but he was too big for most of the practical uses we're looking for, so I kept my work small. Smaller species have a harder time being hit when shot at, and for my uses that is what I need. Also with the reduced body size it is a whole lot easier to make the hide laser proof." Zri had a moment of complete stupification, then his brain went "Oh.", he reached up to open the steel door that led to the gym. The two stepped inside, Jumba set 626 on the floor.  
  
The gym was huge, appromately one hundred meters by three hundred meters. The dull steel walls absorbed the lighting, making the huge room appear dimly lit. On the walls were scores of laser marks and several blackened spots from whenever Jumba used the holo feature as a warzone. The roof vaulted above thier heads and ended in steel crossbeams and supports. Arround the edge was a track for running, the center was filled with all kinds of equipment, bars set at different hights, ropes and other objects were strewn about in an unorderly fassion. The gym seemed sparse though, that was why a controll panel sat in the corner of the room, so you could customize the setting, raising up hidden machines of various exersizes, or lowering them all down into the floor and then activating the holographic emitters, effctively creating an unending holo room for play or practical use. A small door to the right of the gym led into and adjoining shooting range, which was equally long as the gym.  
  
Although 626 had been built to be extremely strong, his muscles had to be toned and conditioned to get to the level where they would be that strong. Jumba started out 626 on twenty pounds, spotting him as he went. Slowly he increased the ammount by five pounds each ten-set. He stopped 626 after an hour's worth of work and 100 standard pounds of pure steel. He allowed 626 to stop for a break.  
  
Speed is also essential, "Speed could put distance between you and your enemy or help to close a distance....." Jumba quoted from a book he'd read while jotting down notes on his clip board. Jumba let 626 run the track once, just to time him. 626 panted the whole time, when he reached the end he was gasping for air, he slouched down to the ground and beathed the cool air from off the cold floor of the gym. "Five minutes, 626." Jumba announced. Zri walked over to the big scientist. "I think you're pushing him too hard." he observed. Jumba shook his head. "This isn't his full potential, he's only started. I pulled him from the cryo chamber the day before, it's early for him, mentally but not physically. He'll be ready for anything in a week. I know, I built him." Jumba told Zri.  
  
Five minutes had passed, "626, UP! ANOTHER LAP NOW!" Jumba yelled to him from across the gym. He clicked his stopwatch. 626 pulled himself up from the floor in a pushup style manner then jolted off like a runner. The seconed time was better, he went slightly faster. "Thirty seconds faster 626, good, but not as I expected. Again, this time on all your appendages." Jumba said. 626 crouched down, He almost stood up for a second, but then corrected himself. He gripped the spongy track tile as he went, propeliing himself as he went. He was done and halfway arround again before he realized that Jumba was calling him. He slowed to a stop and looked for Jumba, he was walking toward him,a huge grin on his face. "626, that was marvelous, faster than anything ever before." he praised him. Zri was close behind, he was speachless, just staring in awe. "That was great, tomorrow we'll work on that some more. But for now you can do some combat maneuvers. Zri can take the floor at this time." Jumba stepped back.  
  
Zri walked silently over to the controll panel. He pushed some buttons and a grinding noise started. 626 turned arround, the exercize equipment was slowly sinking into the floor. As soon as it was gone Zri hit several more buttons. 626 heard a beep, lights flashed. The gigantic gym vanished in a blinding white flash, 626 threw his paws up to cover his eyes. Zri looked over and raised his eyebrow at this. The white light flashed again, this time it was a huge open field, Huge green and hite snow capped mountains bordered all arround the field. 626 looked arround. He was standing under a roof of some sort, thick wooden poles supported it at either corner, he glanced down to see a bamboo floor. He also realized that his orange combat suit had been replaced with a white, red belted karate uniform. Zri also had a white suit on.  
  
"While Jumba says that strenght and speed are essential, and I agree. But there is more than just being stong and fast." he told 626, who seemed uninterested at the moment. "To better know yourself is to better understand your enemy. To know when enough is enough, to be able to differ between friend and misguided enemy." he continued. 626 was now begining to listen. "It is better to know when to strike then go head on into battle. The wise warior avoids the battle of weapons, instead he uses the weapons of words. The wise warrior also knows when the use of a weapon is apropriate." he cited. 626 was now hooked. "These are some dirivitaves of Sun Stzu's book of war. There are also thousands of other quotes that are as useful as these."  
  
"What are they? Can you tell me more?" 626 asked as he sat down on the floor. Zri grinned. "Warriors never attack out of anger, or revenge. A cool head in battle is not likely to get lobbed off. Death is more honorable than defeat. Keep your weapon and you shall keep your life. These are the ways of the warrior, they applied three thousand years ago and still apply to day. Enough talk for now." Zri walked over to a weapons stand placed oddly in the corner of the area. He took two spears off the wall. "Spears are useful, they can keep the enemy at a good distance, far away from you." Zri handed one to 626. He swung it arround for several seconds to get the feel for it.  
  
"How will this help me at all? Today we use lasers and blaster riffles." 626 presented. Zri let out a small laugh. "Spears of long ago are like the riffles today, tey are used to keep the enemy at bay and away from you. Small pistols are like daggers, deadly up close but useless at any great distance. Arrows are comparable to long ranged weapons, but are weak and powerless up close. Do you see now what I mean?" Zri answered. "Small similarity, if at best. Yes." 626 said. "Good, now comes the tricky part." Zri grinned. He swung the spear right down onto 626 head. 626 moved slightly to the side and put his spear up. Zri's hit his spear, effectively stopping it. "Good." Zri moved back. He came again, this time from the side. 626 was able to bounce it into the air. Zri let the momentum get lost in the air, "Again, good." Zri did it again, except he re-did the first two attacks in one fluid motion. 626 was able to deflect them both.  
  
"Each opponent has a certain fighting style, the move and act accordingly. Every one is different, they have thier own prefrences to what weapon they use and what manner they will use it in. Get it?" Zri said. 626 nodded. "Now, it's your turn." 626 took the spear and tried a weak, straight on poke. Zri brushed it aside. "Is that all you have?" he sighed. "Jus tgetting started." 626 said confidently. He swung the spear low, hoping Zri wouldn't be able to stop it. Zri instead stepped back, the tip brushed his pants. 626 wasn't finished though, he jumped toward Zri and feinted bringing the spear down over his head, but then slid it down and came up from under him with the back end. Zri leaned back to let the spear come down, but saw 626 redirrect the thing, he then leaned back more and seemed to roll over in the air. 626 fumed, he'd missed.  
  
626 went beserk, wildly swinging the spear all over. Up, down, left, it didn't matter, as long as it was moving. Zri blocked the thrusts he couldn't dodge, and kept moving. Anywhere and anyway the spear could be swung 626 found it, he relentlessly swung. 626 started to slow down after a while, untill he stopped to catch his breath. "You see, you cannot do that. Keep your head in battle. Doing that does no good, all it does is wear you out. Let go of everything, don't think. Let your attacks come naturally. Fighting is an art, like a fine ballet, only with weapons." Zri told him. "Try again." he lowered his spear.  
  
626 made some sence out of Zri's words. 'Just let go.' He took a deep breath. 'Let if go.' He cleared his mind, thougt of nothing, he watched Zri come closer. The spear came down, 626 put his spear up, they hit. Zri came again, this time from the side, 626 moved back and the tip missed him. He tried this time, as Zri's spear was returning he took a swipe. Zri brought down his spear hastily. 626 made contact, then spun arround, comming low. Zri missed this, and the spear handle knocked him off his feet. 626 stopped. Zri collected himself "Good, you did it. Some more practice and you could be as good, or better than me." He stood up, 626 waited for another attack. "No more for today, there's always tomorrow." Zri told him. 626 relaxed and lessened his grip on the spear. Zri hit a button on his wrist watch.  
  
The area flashed white, pause, then flashed again. They were back in the gym. 626 made sure he had his orange suit on, to his relief he did. Zri looked over to the corned where Jumba sat, resting. "If Jumba would approve, we can start the weapons training." Jumba put his drink on the ground and stood up. "Only if 626 isn't too tired, we can come back tomorrow." Both looked over to the blue alien. "I'm up to it, I just need a drink." he said. Jumba grinned. This would be interesting.  
  
After a long drink, Jumba followed 626 and Zri to the room adjoining. The shooting range, unlike the gym, was climate controlled and it was always at a constant temperature of 70 degreeze. There was another room in the shooting gallery, it was a small with a huge window and bolt and pressure locking door. It was also laser and plasma proof, just in case one of his experiments got a crazy idea and tried to shoot Jumba. A small wall seperated the rest of the range from the shooting area.  
  
Jumba went into the small room and observed, he still wasn't sure about giving any experiment a weapon of any kind, especially 626 who had no prior experience. Zri on the other hand was totally confident that he had controll over the situation. Zri started 626 off with the standard blasters. 626 felt the weight of the two, "These things are improperly balanced." he told Zri, he let the pistols swing down on one finger to prove his point. "That's because when you run out of battery they are deadly when swung." He tried swinging them, the heavy front proved to be deadly.  
  
Zri pushed a button on a controll pad, three holographic targets appeared from nowhere and started to move arround. "Try your skill 626." He fired off shot, it missed all the targets and embedded itself in a wall. 626 grunted in displeasure. He tried it again, the shot flew closer and almost hit. He'd picked up learning every thing else, but the shooting was a problem, he growled in disgust and just reigned fire on the infernal targets. His anger proved to be a powerful asset, his shots all hit successfully. When all the targets had been blown away is when he stopped. The crescendo of the echoing gunfire filled the air. Zri smiled "Good, good, your learning fast." 626 didn't feel that way though. Zri presented two more blasters for a total of four. He pushed rhe switch again, 626 shredded the targets before they got to move. Zri pushed the button several times, all the targets exploded again, this time he locked the button, so it wouldn't come back up.  
  
In a total of four minutes 626 had turned all the targets into holographic dust. Zri let the computer calculate the total number of shots versus hits. He printed out the results, along with statistcics of how many shots hit where. He put the blasters back into the weapons locker and handed Jumba the sheets of paper. Jumab paged through them, shocked. "One thousand confirmed hits of three thousand some odd fired. Ten percent were head shots, the rest were chest and torso.....Wait, the blasters should have ran out of ammo way before.." Zri cut in "Everything was holographicly generated, the guns were empty to start with." he explained. "Alright, now it makes sense." Jumab shrugged. "Care for tea?" Zri asked.  
  
"No, I'm sorry. We've bothered you enough for today. We have to be going." Jumba declined. Zri led them out of the gym and to the front door. "You weren't a bother, I rather enjoy your company. It gets lonely over here sometimes." Zri complained. "I'm always in, well most of the time anyway, you are always welcome." Jumba invited. "Alright." Zri sighed. "Tomorrow I guess?" Jumba nodded.  
  
They both said their good byes to Zri who waved then shut the door.'Good, their gone.' Zri thought, he walked down the hall to the comms room. Inside were six pads about three feet in diameter, three were for sending your immage and the other three were for recieving. He went over to a computer in the corner and punched in a seven digit code then stepped onto one of the pads. An image of a species like him appeared, the hologram immage wore a cloak with a hood that covered all of the face. It looked somewhat like a phantom or the grim reaper. "Your disturbance at this hour is most unexplainable." the figure growled. Zri hung his head. "I'm sorry, you see, Jumba.." "JUMBA?!" the voice interrupted. "What were you doing arround Jumba?" Zri raised his head. "This time I think he's done it. Made the perfect 'super soldier' Isn't that what you were waiting for?" A long peroid of silence followed. "I see," the shrouded figure said, his voice raised in interest. "What do you have for information? A confirmation of this?" Zri nodded. "I have recorded the whole training session. I will down load it to your private personal datapad." A few beeps and the data was transfered. "I will view the video and contact you later." The immage said, then dissappeared. Zri hacked into the comm recorder and deleted the communication. 


	4. Mere Acquaintences

Mere Acquaintences  
  
The forest was beautiful, it smelled of wet leaves and blooming flowers. The sunset created a romantic feeling, it refracted the light off the leaves that were wet from a light rain. A slight wind rustled the leaves and the short grasses that grew under the mammoth trees. Animals of all kinds scurried throught the dead leaves and up trees. Birds sang their songs and filled the air with a hypnotic melody, the bugs joined in, creating a sweet symphony of nature.  
  
"To bad I can't be out there." 327 muttered as she stared into the screen of the computer. She was supposed to be filing the notes and observations Jumba had made on 626. She paged through the notes. '626 has just awoken, it took sometime for the pre programmed lessons to take hold, but when they did he was acting like he had always been like that...' on entry read. She sighed, "I wish he'd give me a break so I can see 626." She'd been cooped up in the controll room filled with dust and super computers since 626 was born, she began to think Jumba was trying to keep her away from him.  
  
The pink alien hit a button that toggled the cameras, she now watched the supply ships unload, the stocky short workers unloaded the supplies and food for the week. A thin scientist in a white lab coat and black under shirt watch in the corner, he had wire rimmed glasses set up on his long head, he pulled aside the foreman, handed him an envelope, whispered some thing into his ear, handed out some credits and dissappeared into the shadows. 327 watched this, 'Something is going down.' or some thing, 'Never seen that before, I think I'll get Jumba.' She leapt off the high chair that faced the computer and ran to the door.  
  
626 was walking down the hall, whistling a tune from a far off planet he'd heard sometime, someplace. He stopped at the controll room door and started to think what he should say to 327, heck Jumba advised he go and meet her, he'd never seen her before. He was uneasy about this. 'What if she doesn't like me?' he thought. 'What if I don't like her.' he paused,'What if....' The door hissed open and 626 looked up from the floor, he was clobbered by a pink thing running at him.  
  
The two experiemnts tumbled for a few feet, and some how 626 landed ontop on 327. They both stared at eachother, 626 felt some thing different when he looked at the pink alien, 327 shared the experience. They both didn't know how to react, they just stared. 626 broke the silence "Sorry." he apologized, he got off of 327 and brushed himself off. "No no, it was my fault." 327 said, she giggled. "What's so funny?" he asked. "Nothing, you must be experiment 626, am I correct?" she asked. "Who wants to know?" he raised an eye brow. "327." she told him. "Oh well in that case, yes, I am." "Well i'm 327," she said shyly. "I know a palce where the drinks are free, care for one?" 626 asked. 'Jumba was right' 327 thought, 'He's cute too.' "Why not?" she grinned.  
  
The two experiments sat at a low table in the corner of the kitchen that Jumba had built for them, both had cups of Turian tea. Both experiments felt untalkative and unsure of each other. "What do you think about Jumba ?" 327 started off simple. " Hmmm.... He's there." 626 said flatly. "...And 625?" she tried to liven the conversation up. "He's ok, just a little diffucult some times." 626 yawned. This conversation was going nowhere interesting. "Any thing...." 626 was cut short. 625 entered the room, a dumb stare upon his face as he picked his nose. He spotted 626 and 327 sitting at a table. He blushed as he pulled his clawed finger from his nose, the gaze of 626 and 327 upon him, he grinned. "I hope I'm not disturbing any thing." 327 stood up, "Yes you've just disturbed my lunch for the past week, excuse me while I go throw up." She walked out of the kitchen. "Ouch." 625 said. "Tough as hell to get to huh?" he said to 626. "She's a little overactive sometimes, like now for instance."  
  
626 was in another world, dreaming of the beautiful 327. His thoughts were interrupted by 625. "Hello?" he yelled, "Turo to 626? is anyone home?" 625 said noisily. 626 turned arround and gave 625 and evil grin, all his teeth bared. "Quiet, or I'll sucker-punch you." 626 got up and walked toward him, hissing as in an attack. "No harm meant, I just.....I....." 626 was getting closer. "Abandon Ship!!" 625 yelled and turned to flee the kitchen. 626 grinned the evilest of grins.  
  
626 was crawling on the ceiling later that night when he spotted 327 under him. He decided to drop down onto her and give her the spook. He let go and fell, 327 moved a bit, offsetting his suprize. He hit the floor, perfectly level with it. 327 cringed when she hear the "WHAP" as 626 hit the floor, she could tell by the sound that it hurt. When she realized it was 626 she rushed over to him. "Are you o.k.?" she started to pick him up. 626 recoved from the stun and stood up on his own will. "Yea, just remind me to tell the good doctor to put in rubber tiling." he joked. He brushed away a tingling feeling arround his nose. "You're bleeding." 327 observed. "It's nothing." he rubbed his nose, that only made it worse, more blood came out. He produced a cloth remnant from his pocket and held it against his nose. He sniffed. "Don't do that! You'll get a mouthfull of blood." 327 scolded him. "Too late." 626 gurguled. 327 sighed.  
  
327 escorted 626 to the lounge area of the lab, it was really the library. Wall to wall of the twenty by tweny area was filled with books, hundreds or even thousands were linned up, cover to dusty cover. There was a lowered area of the library with furniture and a coffee table piled high with subscription magazines in several different languages. 327 laid 626 onto one of the couches. "Lay still untill the bleeding stops." she instructed. "Sorry about 625, earlier today." 626 apologized. "No, it was my fault. I don't like being arround him. Things happen when I am." 327 explained. "Like what?" 626 inquired. "He is annoying, and overall detestable. He usually winds up with bloody noses." 626 chuckled. "I've never had a problem with him." "Oh, trust me, you will. He has a way of getting under your nerves. I can't tell if it's his, out of the universe perspective or what. It just irks me." "Hey, it stopped bleeding!" 626 exclaimed.  
  
"Speaking of which. What were you doing in the hallway, on the roof anyway?" 327 asked. "I was poking arround, looking in rooms that were un- occupied at the moment. I was in the middle of going to another door when I saw you, then decided to drop down and scare you. But that didn't work out as planned." 327 smiled. 626 suddenly jumped up. "I want to continue exploring the place." he announced. "You can come with me if you want." he told 327. She shrugged and followed him out of the room.  
  
626 reached the door he hadn't been behind yet. "That's the medical storage." 327 said. "Thanks for ruining the suprize." 626 hissed. He pushed the door open and entered. 327 turned on the light. The small room had a rack of liquid filled medicines along the wall. There were several boxes stacked in the corner, marked with different black writing. All along one wall was what appeared to be restraints of some kind. "What are all these?" 626 asked picking up a set of tubular handcuffs and examined them. "They're restraints. Back when the Council was funding Jumba's work they required him to keep all his genetic experiments tranquilized, restrained and under lock and key, just for safety reasons. But when the council pulled his funding and passed a law that enstated he couldn't use genetics to create anything, he just kept them." 327 told him. "Yea, but these look pretty recent." 626 noted. "Jumba swiped several pairs of the newer handcuffs several days ago. He tells most of us that he'll put them on us if we don't behave, but I think he's bluffing." 327 informed him. "One heck of a bluff though." he remarked, setting the cuffs down. "Whatever works for him." 327 shrugged.  
  
"It's getting late, I should be getting to bed. All that training takes alot out of you." 626 said. 327 nodded, "I know how you feel. I went through the same hell." 626 headed for the door, "Later." he blinked. 327 was left the the room all alone, a huge grin spead of her face. "I'll have to thank Jumba later." she thought outloud.  
  
*  
  
Over the next three days 626 and 327 became close friends. They spent time together whenever it was available. Jumba noted this, which he thought was strange because 626 wasn't programmed like that. He took a closer look one day and figured out that 327 had most of teh affection toward 626 and not the otherway. He most likely resoned that 626 thought 327 was just a tag- along, or someone to follow.  
  
Occasionally 626 would take 327 over to Zri's to use the holo feature in the gym. Jumba didn't think that was a good idea, he had noticed Zri was eyeing 626 in a rather suspicious manner. He let them go, at least untill he got wind of what Zri found so intersting about 626. He also noted 626 was advancing well in his training, now if only he could get out there and find some place test him.  
  
*  
  
The jungle was quiet, that spooked him. The morning steam was beginnign to fade, making it easier to see through the thick underbrush. He gripped his riffle tighter, she was out there somewhere, waiting for him. But he had to get her first. He crouched down lower on the flat stump of a tree. He pulled a huge branch over himself, making him invisible to the naked eye. But then again he wasn't fighting a primitive species. He breathed quietly so she couldn't hear him.  
  
A rusling in the bush caught his attention. He pointed the riffle in the dirrection of the sound and double checked to make sure it was on stun. She came through the bush, riffle in hand, crouched down low. He watched her slowly slink across the leaf covered ground, he grinned, she hadn't seen him. Slowly he pulled the trigger of the riffle. Before he could finish the pull, she turned toward him and fired blindly into the bush where he was and ran to the nearest tree to hide behind.  
  
"Give up, you'll never win!" he shouted to her. "Ha, come and get me!" a female voice shouted back from the safety of the tree. Things got silent, too much for her. She feared he had moved and was now closing in on her. He poked her head out from behind the stump. The bark right by her eye exploded after the laser round hit it, she pulled back before any debris could get into her eye. "That's a real good way to get your head blown off." she heard him chuckle.  
  
She heard him move out from his cover, this was it. She jumped out from behind the tree hoping to find him with his back turned. She met the open jungle, nothing. She looked up into the trees, then franticly everywhere else. She heard something in the bush, desperately she began a three hundred sixy degree dust off of the jungle.  
  
Slowly he came up behind her, riffle at the draw. He knelt down and aimed the sight right to the center of her back. He fired. The shot hit her and forced her to the ground, she gasped. He smiled. "Simulation ending..." a scratchy electronic voice moaned.  
  
A quick double white flash and the two experiments were back in Zri's gym. A wry grin was spread across 626 face, his riffle was resting on his shoulder. "Got you." he grinned. "You cheated!" 327 hissed. "How?" 626 asked calmly. "You did, I know." she accused. "Final score: 626, four points, 327, two points." the computer said. "Ha, I'm half as good as you!" 327 boasted. "Or, I'm two times better." 626 stuck his tounge out. "Oh stop, let's get back to the lab." 327 tugged at him.  
  
Jumba was rummaging through the repair parts in the reactor room. He was taking inventory of all the spare parts so he could order more before next delivery. He noticed that he had no spare condencer for the reactor. On a clipboard he wrote down, 'Get another Crystallic Condencer'. It might blow at any time. He was leaving the room when a high pitched whislte stopped him, he sighed. That meant one thing, the Crtstallic Condencer was going bad. Alarms rang off loudly, alerting him that the condencer was going to go bad. Jumba decided rather than risk it he would shut down the power. He raised the rods up into the roof of the gigantic reactor and sealed them off. Jumba flipped a switch which cleansed the reactor room of radiation. He waited a few seconds before stepping in. "Oh boy." he groaned as he opened the door to the reactor room.  
  
Several hours, a few cups of coffee, and a trip to the medical area and he was set. He had the condencer wrapped up in a towel, it was still leaking. He set it inside a box and headed for the controll room, which he hoped was still running on auxilary power.  
  
Inside he found 626 and 327 at the computer, 327 was teaching 626 how to get into any file he wanted, even teh restricted ones. He learned quickly and was in no time cracking into the most secure places in the galaxy. Jumba set the condencer on the desk where the computer sat, the loud bump scared the two experiments who were in deep concentration. "327," Jumba said loudly so that he'd grab her attention, "Hmmm." she said, not looking up from the screen. "Get the numbers off this," he pointed to the object on the desk,"And look for another one, make it quick we're running off auxilary power." He left the room and went to talk to Zri about using his reactor temporarily.  
  
327 went through the mainframe to the warehouses on Chenadiss and looked arround there for one. The warehouses on Chenadiss had anything and everything from liquid zyrachronium to hydro-electric bombs. She searched for several minutes, 626 watched her. The reactor Jumba had was so out dated, they might as well had gotten a new one. Determined to find one for him she hacked into the database and snooped there for one. She came across a thing 626 pointed at. "That, there." She accessed the information for the Crystallic inverter, she read the long list of the specifications. 626 realzed that it was the same thing as Jumba was looking for, basic principles anyway, it converted crystals into a high powered beam that was shot at the boiler that produced steam that drove the turbine that produced electricity. 327 searched the database for avalibility, it wasn't even listed. "Odd." she said. "What?" 626 asked. "This thing isn't even listed, maybe they haven't had time to put it up for sale." she suggested. They both decided to wait and consult Jumba.  
  
Half an hour later he appeared in the controll room, "Well, Zri said we could use his reactor for a while, any luck 327?" he panted from running the power cords up to the panel. " Yes and no." she told him. "Yes and no?" Jumba looked confused. "Yes I found one, No it's not avalible." Jumba looked even more confused,"What is it then?" "Well, 626 and I found some thing that might work, a crystallic inverter, ever heard of it?" the pink alien answered. Jumba looked astonished, his jaw dropped, 'crystallic inverter' him mind kept repeating. "What's wrong?" 626 asked.  
  
Jumba told the two experiment about the inverter. "Sixteen years ago," he began "Sixteen years ago the Galactic army asked a group of scientists to develop a super weapon, one that could easily destroy and planet in a matter of seconds." 626 listened carefully. "So they put thier heads together and came up with a weapon, a C6-D15, prototype, and scaled down version of the huge weapons aray satelite that had this upon it. The gun fired at a slow rate, but the up was that it fired a deadly ball of electrically charged plasma, an impossible feat. It consisted of a coil several feet in legnth wound arround a barrel, they charged the coil with ten million volts and shot the plasma through it. The first few shots went all over the place, the accuracy of the thing was all but impossible. So they set out to invent something that would make the weapon more accurate. It ran off a small disk like cartridge that was inserted at one end, the crystallic inverter. The purpose of the inverter was to focus the energy into a narrow beam. But it was too powerful to be used as an effective weapon, too much recoil. In a theory it tested at twenty seven million pounds, too much for even a planet to handle. They gave up and halted the project. Ever since the documents have been secured and locked up at the Galactic Defence Base on a deserted asteriod. Untill three years ago, they were stolen and the base blown to oblivion. If this thing does really exist it would be a powerful asset to own." Jumba finished. 626 grined evily a weapon that had the destructive capabilities of him.  
  
Jumba decided to steal the inverter for not only his purposes but for research. He though of some other uses for it arround the place. This would not be the first time he'd made a decision like this. Several years earlier he'd run out of funding for his research. He sent 327 on a hacking crusade, she effectively transfered several million credits into Jumba's account, and left a trail a galaxy wide for the Federation to sift through. Jumba had a shady past, but with 327's help he was as clean as a new dish.  
  
Jumba made plans to leave Turo the next day, he intended to prove 626 worthy of the ultimate fighting machine. He showed 626 the blueprints and the layout of the base. He pointed out several strategic standpoints. T-I63- 6 gaurds would be everywhere, this warehouse complex was also a military post. The planet was mostly desolate, and un-fertile so instead of placing alien soldiers arround the place, they had low mainence mehcanical soldier, or robots. Just the test for 626, several hundred robo-soldiers and an objective.  
  
*  
  
Zri entered the comms room, punched in the seven digit number onto the keyboard and stood on the pad. It took several seconds for the other reciever to pick up. An immage flickered onto one of the holopads, it was the same cloaked figure a before. "You disturb me again, I find this most unnerving. I have reviewed you data on experiment 626. You are correct to assume he is what I've been looking for. You have permission to pursue and capture him, at all costs." the hooded figure spoke in his deep voice. "Jumba is leaving tomorrow to pick up another condencer for hs reactor." Zri reported. "You have indicated he is leaving 626 behind?" the shadowed figure asked. "Nothing is certain yet, but he has aksed me to watch his lab while he's gone, and I have a plan that will give you the boost that is needed." he finished. "Very well, I expect a call later on tomorrow." The transmission ended.  
  
Zri again erased the call and walked out of the room, he had some planning to do. 


	5. To Hell and Back

To Hell and Back  
  
In order to prove 626 was the best and greatest fighting machine he would go to Chenadiss and have 626 raid the warehouse in order to find the crystallic inverter and maybe some trouble. He hurried arround the lab, shutting down all other experiments in progress that would not need to run while he was gone. He had asked Zri to watch the lab while he was gone. Jumba would only be taking 626 with him, There was great risk of endangerment to any other experiment if a Federation cruiser searched them.  
  
As Jumba carried a box of various needs for the trip, he past the front entrance and not a step more the buzzer went off. "Who the?" Jumba asked himself. He set the box down and mosyed over to the door. He opened it, regaurdless of whoever might be outside. The door hissed up, revealing the tall heigth of Zri, wearing the same clothes as always. "I won't be leaving untill later tonight, or before lunch if things get packed well." Jumba informed him. "I know. Just stopped by to ask if there is any special task that would require my presence." Zri said, justifiying his stop-in. He adjusted something behind his log white lab coat. "None that I can think of right now, You can come back later when I leave and ask 327." Jumba picked up his box, acting as if it were the most important thing at the moment.  
  
"327 is the pink one, right?" Zri confirmed, sensing Jumba's aggrivation with him. "Yes, now I would be most delighted if you left. I really need to get packing." Jumba politely pushed him out with the box. He closed the door, "Good day to you too..." he grumbled, walking off to the ship. Something about Zri didn't seem right, he'd never popped in like that before, and ontop of that his actions clearly showed that he didn't want to leave.  
  
Something rose out of the white void, he stared hard, it was a small human girl with hair black as the night itself. Her skin was a dark brown, like a real good suntan. She looked to be about eight years old, give or take a few. A curious smell drifted up to his nose, a smell unknown to him, but he did recognize salinity in the aroma. Some how he felt Jumba had betrayed him some where, he now had a hatred for his creator. He got an empty feeling in his stomach, not a hungy feeling, but a lonely one. 327 was gone, a phantom nowhere to be seen, she vanished in the mist of his mind. Water, there was water all over, he couldn't escape, it was everywhere, he sat upon a rock in the middle of the Ocean. The girl appeared more frequent, she seemed to be with him every step he took.  
  
A white flash, he stood on the landing ramp of a ship, hands bound in cuffs, the little girl had tears that welled up in her eyes. Strangely enough he had feeling for her. He saw a park filled with all kinds of rusting equipment. Behind was a scene of chaos, a fairly large city was burning, the smoke plumes rose high into the air, chokming out the sun, admist all this dammage he felt attached to it. He was being taken away from the black haired girl, his fate unknown to him. It repeated, he again stood upon the landing ramp still bound in handcuffs, a park filled with all kinds of equipment that was clean and well oiled. The buildings were standing and no sign of destruction was evident. He and the girl stood hand in hand gazing into the sunset, neither said a word.  
  
He jumped out of bed and landed on the floor in a defensive crouch, exactly what Zri had taught him to do in trouble. Sweat rolled down his face and into his eyes. He was tense and strung out, the dream frustrated him, he didn't know what it meant. Whatever it was spooked him, 327 was gone and he didn't like that thought. Where was 327? Was she dead? All these thought sped through his brain, he shivered at the though of 327 dead. When he realized he was awake and no danger was present, he stood up and yawned casually, brushing the dream from his immediate attention. Jumba was expecting him early today, he had a job to do.  
  
Stretching as he walked over to the locker and grabbed an orange suit, slippd it on and went to find Jumba. He found him on the landing pad for the huge red cruiser that he had. The landing gear was out, making the huge ship look ever bigger. 626 watched as Jumba loaded up some weapons in a crate and a box of supplies. 626 walked up the loading ramp that led to the cargo bay in the rear of the red crusier. "Whoa." he gasped.  
  
It looked somewhat like a Boeing 747, with a huge cockpit that was 70% of the ship's mass. The thin row of windows at the top of the huge head of the crusier. Two fins emmerged from the rear. The damn thing looked like it was nose heavy. Two huge turbines sat on either side of the crusier in about mid-wing. Inside was made from mostly earth materials, leather sofa, hickory cabnets, wool rugs. Anyhting from earth was rare and very expensive. There was a bed room that perfectly fit Jumba's enormous size, complete with shower, kitchen and lounge. In the rear was the bedroom, the kitchen was attached to the lounge then the cockpit.This was a luxury crusier, not a fighting vessle or transporter, weapons were nil and the onboard armnaments were what you carried on. Guidence computers and Hyper drive were some of the extra features thet Jumba had recently installed.  
  
He boarded the ship, the smell of newness floated through the air, the cargo hold was fairly big. Jumba moved around easily, and 626 could have bulit an apartment inside. Jumba was securing the box of weapons amidst the sea of crates. 626 went to see what he was doing. "Your finally up 626, good now we can get going." Jumba walked up some stairs and emmerged into the lounge through a door on the side, 626 followed him up. He closed the cargo door via button in the cock pit, and went to finish up some stuff in the Lab. 626 sat on the expensive leather couch, he took one look at his claws and grinned.  
  
"327, remember to rotate the stock every five hours and.." She cut in,"Yes, yes, I know, make sure to lock the place down after 1900 hours." she huffed. "Right," Jumba applauded, "Zri will be comming over every hour, just to check in so let him inside." "Yeah, whatever." 327 muttered and turned back to the computer, she'd found an interesting article on hacker tracing. She needed to read on that to make sure she couldn't be traced. Or it might be a way to make thier hacks easier to trace. Jumba grabbed the only loaf of bread left in the cabnet, he didn't want to waste it on 625. He headed for the cruiser on the pad.  
  
His enoumous size climbed the flight of stairs to the entrance on the side. He walked in to find 626 carefully removing every stitch in the sofa, then proceded to remove the fluff on the inside. "Ah, 626, destruction in it's prime." he mumbled while moving into the cockpit. "626 get up here, I'm going to teach you to fly this hunka junk." 626 wandered up into the cockpit and Jumab went over the controlls with him. 626, like always, picked up the configuration and learned quickly. He prediction was right, the ship would fly nose heavy, but he was able to compensate. Within minutes he was ready to fly the huge crusier.  
  
327 and 625 turned up to watch the take off. Both stood at a good distance so not to get hurt by the jet engines. 626 looked out the window, spotted 327 and waved good bye, 327 blushed and waved back. 625 let his tounge hang limply in the air and drooled on the floor. 626 mouthed from the window, 'Retarded slob'. 625 picked up immediately and tried to retaliate with no avail. The two experiments went back into the Lab to avoid the shock wave of the pulsator's liftin the ship from the ground.  
  
The ride out of the atmosphere was bumpy, 626 fought the controlls untill they broke low orbit. Jumba took control, typed the co-ordinates into the nava computer waited for them to compute then went to the kitchen to get some thing to drink. 626 wandered into the lounge to finish his business with the sofa. Jumba rummage through his supply of wine, looking for one for this occasion, he found a bottle of Ruedena, from the planet Respak. He popped the cork and poured two glasses, one for him and the other for 626. "Drink 626?" ha asked. 626 was not one to turn anything down, so be bounced over from his activity on the sofa. Jumba took a small sip, 626 looked at it curiously then downed the glass in one gulp. He coughed violently at the bitterness and acidity. "Live and learn 'eh 626?" Jumba laughed. Jumba sat down on the half shredded sofa and started a conversation with 626. The crusier few on a set course, to Chenadiss.  
  
* * *  
  
Hours later, the lab back on Turo seemed stone quiet without Jumba or 626. 327 said nothing as she continued with her regular duties. 625 was his noisy old self, glad 626 was gone, he now could eat his sanwiches in peace, but without the bread, courtesy of Jumba. Noisy as it seemed 327 was sure it was quiet, too quiet. Most of the other experiments were partying in a deserted part of the lab.  
  
Experiment 594 walked down the hall to the entrance to Jumba's lab, shouting obscene thing purely because Jumba wasn't there. He was a red- yellow with a lime green stomach, white tipped his ears and he had no antenna and only a single pair of long arms. He could have swore, in fact he did, he heard the door buzzer go off. He climbed the door with his sharp navy blue claws, peering out the view port he spotted Zri who waved at him. Zri was well known by all the experiments, purely because he trained all of them. 594 opened the big heavy door via keypad.  
  
Zri had a small automatic riffle hid under his long lab coat, just like last time. He had it set on stun. His plan was simple, stun every thing that moved, retrieve 626, wipe his memory of Jumba. Then things would go as planned.  
  
"Is Jumba in?" he asked knowing that he wasn't. 594 gave him a look of despair,"No!" he said simply."No?, mind if I come in?" he said stepping into the lab. 594 remebered to watch his mouth arround others. Zri looked arround, "Are you all ok?, is there anything you need?" He asked cautiously. "No, but you could order a few pizzas for us." 594 spat out. "Hmmmm..., is 626 arround?, Jumba asked that I talk to him." Zri inquired. 594 gave him a skeptical look, "626 went with Jumba, to Chenadiss." he said, raising an eye brow suspiciously. He felt uneasy about Zri's presence now, he was poking at something, and not succeding. Zri's voice raised in anger slightly, 594 could tell. "I'll be on my way then." Zri turned arround and headed for the door. 594 closed it."Wait a minute!" he yelled "What about our pizza?!"  
  
Zri ran to his comms room in a panic, Maurader was expecting a call of success, not alarm. His long fingers rapidly tapped out the code, and he stepped on the pad. Sweat rolled down his forehead, the pad beeped in success. The same shadowy figure appeared, "It's early, almost too early for you to have capured 626." the dark voice growled. Zri shook from being nervous, "N-No, he went with Jumba, to Chenadiss." he stuttered. The figure didn't move or change tone, "I'll see he doesn't make it back, out." The line cut off. Bad sign, this was not good.  
  
* * *  
  
The huge red crusier floated easily through the void of space, main thrusters pushing it along at top speed to Chenadiss. 626 had gotten bored and went into Jumba's bed room. This made him uneasy, 626 had been unusually quiet for the last two hours, 'Well, I do have insurance.' he thought. He looked out the window and spotted Chenadiss, "626, come up here." he called back. 626 emmerged, the room still intact. 'Amazing!.' Jumba thought, he scribbled a note on the clipboard he carried.  
  
Chenadiss was almost void of life. Maybe five hundred thousand occupants on the entire planet. It was about two time the size of earth, and ten times as rich in minerals. Green jungles covered most of the planet. Huge bodies of water were all landlocked. Unlike Earth, Chenadiss was 75% land and the rest water. In the depths of the rainforest lay a Warehouse complex. Hidden from all prying eyes and inquiring media. Unknown events and weird experiments had been taking place for over thirty years. Rumors said this was the Galaxy's main producer of Vyskk and several other drugs. Jumba personally thought the warehouse was a cover-up for something more sinister, besides who in their right mind puts a warehouse complex on a dead planet and in the middle of nowhere. Too suspicious.  
  
Jumba brought the Crusier into low orbit, and stopped all engines. He breifed 626 on the warehouse's layout fo rthe second time. It was a huge five million acres, sub atomic electrical fences bordered the ninety warehouses that were about thirty feet in width and one hundred long. A huge complex of offices and apartments lay in the center of the complex. A military bunker, armory, garage, and several large farms that supplied food were present also. He would beam 626 down several miles away from the complex so that they would think he was a sciensist looking for undiscovered species of plants. He would approach the warehouses from the south, enter from a small field, and the rest was up to 626.  
  
He gave 626 four federation blasters, a small riffle with a scope, a small 8 inch knife, and several bricks of c-7 explosives with remote detonator and a pair of aviator goggles that just happened to fit 626. He put the c- 7's and the detonaters into a small back pack, the knife was strapped under the pack, the riffle was slung on the side and the four blasters 626 stuck into the pockets on the knees of his combat suit. Jumba dirrected 626 over to the teleporter hidden the wall. He activated it, 626 stepped on, the world spiraled out, his vision faded.  
  
*  
  
Slowly his world spun back into being, his head stopped swimming. He shook his head to rid himself of the side effects of the teleportation. Jungle was all around, the air was damp and reaked of decaying leaves. 626 didn't dare smell, he figured that sometime later on he would regret it. High up in the tree tops wild birds of various species chirped.  
  
The blue alien ran off into the dirrection in which he faced. The wet leaves splashed at his face, the soft groung gave way under his feet. The thick underbrush tripped him up several times, the noise of other creatures crashed with him. He ran for a good part of the hour. He emmerged from the jungle into a field of grass so abruptly he had to stop and think. He had ran right into a feild of wheat, or something. He could make out the shape of the fence and the warehouseses, the huge buildings were where Jumba said they were. A main road went through the middle of the complex and exited out the front gate in the north side. He noticed catwalks arround all the warehouses connecting them together, he noticed several patrolls walking arround on them.  
  
He moved to about several hundred feet from the fence and laid down in the field if wheat. Looking up, he saw a gaurd paced the catwalk. He swung his riffle down and looked through the scope, the gaurd became bigger from the magnification. The robot was a primitive chassi bot, only needed parts for function and no shiny metal for armor, just steel. They appeared almost human, except their abnormally huge arms and legs. 626 followed the gaurd in his scope, keeping the recticle on his head. 626 estimated the wind, clicked the scope to compensate for the wind, and slowly pulled the trigger. The shot flew low, pushed by the wind. It flew into the chassi bot's neck, knicking it's central processing colomn. The gaurd looked down to asess the dammage. The black oil of life dripped from it's wounds onto it's plated chest. Slowly the machine died out of existance, or would have. Instead it shut itself down before it would burn up.  
  
626 had a solomn look across his face, he felt no sympathy for the bot, there was none. He moved slowly to the fence, the catwalk with the skeletal frame of the robot casting a shadow onto him. He examined the fence, it hummed with the surge of electricity. He looked arround, there were boxes mounted onto the sides of the warehouses, he then realized that the fence was controlled by individual segmented controlls. He aimed the riffle at the nearest box. It exploded in a firey shower of sparks, the fence infront of him stopped humming. He took out his knife and cut a neat hole and crawled through. He replaced his knife and scaled up the nearest wall, he kept the riffle in one paw while he climbed.  
  
The quad armed alien reched the top of the structure and looked arround for more gaurds. A movement caught his eye, another gaurd walked toward the out of commision one. It beeped something to the gaurd on the ground. It scanned the frame for signs of movement. Slowly the other gaurd walked over to the body, just to make sure. When he saw the oil everywhere, his verbal transmitters whined, like they always did before audible speach. "RAISE THE- " He never got to finish, 626's blaster round went into his head, blowing the little pieces of the processing unit into the air. The second gaurd fell onto the first, missing most of his head. 626 watched as the green data chips settled to the ground. He moved on.  
  
After hiding the Chassi bots, he searched the first few ware houses. He found several interesting items, even one with thirty two features, it said so on the box. He was disgusted with the finds, he made up his mind. he was going to the armory. He ran past an outhouse, which was primitive, and over heard some gaurds talking. He skidded to a stop and listened in. The voices were clearly comming from no robot. "Hey, Dirsk. I heard a rumor going arround the place that under the apartments there is a base of some kind with scientists doing some pretty weird stuff down there." A different one spoke. "Yea, I heard that too. But I asked the sarge, and he got real pissed. Said we shouldn't be dickin` arround, making up stuff like that." The first voice came back. "Yea, that only proves there is something down there." 626 heard enough, he scurried off to the armory.  
  
The armory had a moat arround it. And it had a huge impenetrable door. The four walls met and made a square, each side was about twenty feet long, half the building was a weapons room and the other half was a lobby. He looked at it with utter defeat, defeat was alien to this alien. He thought of the garage, the huge powerful trucks, probably heavily armored, with speeds of up to eighty miles per hour, perfect for brining down a wall of that magnitude. He chuckled.  
  
The huge truck roared to life when he crossed the wires. He jumped up and engaged the engines and pushed his riffle into the accelerator. The monstrous armored truck shot out of the garage toward the armory, he fought the wheel ever step of the way. The heavy vehicle flew arcoss the moat and slammed into the wall, the bricks gave way under the force of the blow. From under the wheel a two foot alien crawled out, "Remember, 626, always wear your seat belt." he mocked Jumba. He climbed out the broken windshield and into the weapons armory.  
  
Rows and rows of weapons linned the wall, to his dismay most were Earth weapons, Beneli M Super 90 and Uzis, M79 and M16/M203. all were useless in his small paws, the handles were to big for him to grasp. He wandered into the center of the narrow room. He spotted, on a pedistal, a weapon. Small gold letters read, C-6 D-15. The fabled weapon Jumba was in awe over. It looked somewhat like an Combat Shot-gun, except the barrel was shorter and the stock was non-existant, it appeared to load from the bottom front of the weapon. It was a gun blue color, except the gold lettering. Ten of these guns were lined up on the wall, aparently they had overcome the excessive recoil. 626 grabbed one of these weapons, removed all the ammunition coils from each of the others and put them in his pack. He was about to walk out to the main lobby when he spotted a gun behind some glass. Intriegued, he examined it. It was small, designed for a hight challenged species, like him. It was a cold grey and appeared to look like two pipes varying in size bent slightly, a handle stuck out from the base, indented in the metal was the letters, Crytos III.  
  
626 broke the glass and retrieved his prize, it was surprizingly light, weighing at only ten oz. he mentally felt. It had no sign of a ammo clip or any hole, save the barrel, for that matter. He was interested even more at what the strange weapon could do. Across the room he heard the vault door open, the creak of the hinges. Six gaurds walked inside and grabbed the nearest weapons, then ran out."I can't have them arming them selves." he muttered. Two gaurds noisily ran inside, in unison they both said, "Unit number 21 said to get the big guns." "Roger." the other bot replied. 626 scurried off behind a rack. The two gaurds found that the ammo had been swiped, they grabbed some other guns and started to walk out.  
  
626 made his move. He scurried out in front of the gaurds, and aimed all his weapons at them. The two jumped from the sudden movement, both raised their riffles up. The one on the left had an itchy trigger finger. The single shot echoed in the small room, hitting 626 squarely in the chest. He didn't move or even grunt, the shot was absorbed, doing little or no dammage. The yellow federation blaster blew a hole into the itchy fingered gaurd's lightly armored chest, it blew wiring and other important elements all out behind him, he slumped over. The other gaurd froze, the processing unti stopped to analize the target. 626 siezed the moment, dropping all his weapons he lunged at the gaurd, knocking the riffle out the mechanical hand.  
  
*  
  
Jumba stared out the window of the cruiser into the inky blackness of space. He swirled his wine in the glass and sipped from it. 'Maybe 626 is dead, he's taking an awful long time down there.' He took a nother sip. 'Don't even think like that, he's the best, he'll make it.' He finished off his glass and went to pour another. "626 is most likely being delayed. It is a huge place down there, I'd even get lost." he made up an excuse. He tried to think of something else, but 626 constantly returned to his mind. He couldn't help but worry.  
  
Time ticked slowly by, one minute seemed to last for a year, dragging on forever. He picked up a magazine from the low table in the lounge area. He read several pages but still couldn't forget 626, he threw the magazine down in disgust. "626......" he moaned. "Stop taking so long."  
  
*  
  
626 landed on the gaurd, they both crashed to the floor. The gaurd reached in vain for the riffle a few inches away. 626 saw his intent, he replied with bending the gaurds metal arm. The robot tried to stand, but 626 wouldn't let him, instead gaurd looked arround for another weapon close by. 626 whipped out his combat knife and plunged it into the exposed neck. The robot struggled for a second, 626 slowly sawed through the wires. He soon stopped. 626 pulled out the knife with a metal on metal sound, he shoved it into the sheath. He gathered up his weapons and exited via the opened vault door.  
  
The lobby was nothing spectacular, a receptionist's desk, a few chairs that varied in size. A cheap floor covered the ground. 626 passed on through. He approached the glass door, riffles fired breaking it. He dove for cover. The riffle fire continued for several second. It stopped. 626 poked his small head out, eight gaurds were taking cover behind a transport. He wanted to see what the C-6 could do. He pointed the short barrel at the jeep. The recoil was not as he expected, it was relatively low, but enough to make him move a bit. A softball sized white ball with blue electricity suging across it flew into the jeep. A white flash, the ground shook, a huge explosion, a deep rumble, the air became hot, almost unbearable. The white flash faded from his eyes, the ground where the jeep once stood was scorched, the jeep had turned into a lump of molten metal that glowed red hot. The gaurds had dissappeared into a pile of white hot metal. "Whoa!" 626 exclaimed.  
  
He raced past the piles of cooling metal and to the apartments, but was stopped halfway when a convoy truck carrying some Chassi bots crossed his path. He jumped behind a rock that was laying in the middle of the road. He hoped the gaurds didn't see him. His hope was shattered when the truck stopped and the robots hopped out to take up defensive positions. "Whe whole base is on alert now." 626 told himself. He began to take fire, although the bots hadn't any chance of hitting him.  
  
626 stuck his riffle up and over the rock and fired several shots blindly. He then rolled out from the rock and lay prone, shots whizzed past him and spewed up dirt arround him. He took his time, aiming at one bot to the next, putting a clean hole into each of thier metal heads. He even took several shots at the truck, for good measure. After the bots were all down he leapt up and continued on his way to the apartment complex, where he was convinced the inverter was. 


	6. Out of the Frying Pan and into the Fire

Out of The Frying Pan Into the Fire  
  
The red sunset on Chenadiss was beautiful. The firey ball of a sun sank down behind the horizon. Casting shadows in it's wake, the smell of the wet jungle was ever prominent. A slight wind russled the ferns and trees bordering the field. The waves of wheat moved in unison with the wind. Bugs chirped and predators walked silently, the birds flew through the air and sang in their language. A romantic feeling hung in the jungle air, except in one certain location.  
  
Too bad the Chassi bots weren't arround anymore. Thier powerless, mangled and melted forms littered the road to the center of the complex. Huge holes where explosions from the C-6 were as accourant as the warehouses, smoke still smoldering from some and rising high up into the air, drastically reducing the ammount of already vanishing light. Several overturned vehicles were piled up ontop of eachother began to smoke. The small blue, oranged suited alien toting two huge riffles and two pistols picked his way through the craters and heaps of metal, searching for useful items that he might need while he was in the apartments.  
  
626 was comming closer to the towering apartments, raising ten stories above the warehouses, the four corners flashed with yellow lights to ward off any low flying space ship. He chuckled at the small fountain and rock garden infront of the building, it almost mocked the whole complex. He noticed that floors number four and five were missing, replaced by two story windows that gave the occupants a view of the complex from high above the ground. From the ground he saw what appeared to be medical equipment of some kind, but couldn't tell it was too far away. He swiflty ascended the stairs leading up to the apartment and up to the glass entrance doors.  
  
He peered inside to the entrance lobby, most of the lights were off and the vaulted ceiling lobby was vacant. He pushed the door open, which he was suprized it was. The first thing he noticed was the decorative stone floor made of millions of tiny tiles arranged to make patterns then they were out- lined in what appeared to be gold border. Clearly no expence spared. A hardwood desk with a rack of keys stood about halfway in the lobby to the left. Stacks of various colored papers were piled ontop of eachother, some had fallen to the floor and were snatched up by a lightning quick hand. With the weapons pionted in the general dirrection, 626 slowly padded over to the desk. Behind the wooden desk he found the cowering form of an alien, by which the body suggested that it was a woman. The name tag on her red shirt read, 'Iska'. Nervously she packed a box full of files and such, trying to keep out of sight. 626 poked her in the leg. Iska stopped and turned arround, and met four barrels of doom. "What?" she said casually, no fear in her voice, untill she turned to see him. She screamed loud and long, 626 folded his ears back and poked her hard in the chest. Her scream ended with a chordial thump. "I had overheard some soldiers talking about a lab of some such under the building, how do I get down there?" 626 asked. She gave him a terrified look, her eyes filled with tears, "Oh, please don't hurt me. Please... don't...." she whined. 626 growled, and shoved the barrel of the C-6 under her neck, she grunted. "Last chance." he stated, pionting all the rest of his weapons in her face. "In the elevator," she gasped in pain, "There is a button hidden under the panel, push it." the blood in her face started to drain, she felt faint. 626 turned arround, he paused long enough to hear her whimper. He whipped arround and smacked Iska on the side of the head, not hard enough to kill her, but put her under. A loud crack, and she slumped on the floor. Iska slowly sank to the floor, letting the unconsciousness sink in. "Thanks." 626 said with a tone of ice on his voice.  
  
The elevator was small, only five medium sized occupants would fit. But 626 was extra small, arround thirty of him would fit inside. The button was exactly where the woman said it was, he pushed it. The stone cold steel elevator came to life, rumbling noisily as it descended into the bowels of the base. The long ride made him uneasy, that meant that the base was far under ground. Emotionally draining music played on a small speaker, the whine of it filled the already stale air. He shot out the speaker, the music died in a whine, slowly fading out. A twisted grin spead across his face. He'd killed the speaker.  
  
The anchient elevator slowlt groaned to a halt, the smell of acid, formaldrahyde and oiled equipment filled his nose. The doors tried to open, a loud screech filled the air, it hurt his sensitive ears. He dropped his weapons to cover them, he only picked them up after he was sure the noise had stopped. The door remained stuck. He sniffed the air, and smelt several well-oiled riffles on the other side, or that was his guess. He hoped to God that the Cyrtos III could pierce old elevator doors. The weapon whinned in his hand as the trigger was pulled, the guns recoil was counter reversed by a counter weight inside the upper tube on the top. The elevator doors became filled with holes, the Chassi gaurds fired back into the elevator, but fired to high because thy were programmed to shoot things over five feet tall. 626's rounds hit and decomissioned every last one.  
  
The door were wrenched open and tossed aside. 626 chuckled, "Pretty good weapon, I'd like to thank the guy who made it." He looked at his surroundings, a long white hall, now stained with black by the gaurds oil, stretched far into the earth. Doors linned the first hundred feet, all offices and meeting rooms. Stuff that always confused him, politics. The rest of the legnth was all locked steel doors that lead to various testing facilities. Flourescent lights linned the roof casting a soft glow onto the white and black tiled floor. A basic lab set up, shouldn't be to hard to navigate.  
  
Alien letters were written by the side of each steel door, he passed, 'Bio.' and 'DNA Refinery' and many others. He approached one with 'Deathblow' as the name. This interested him, he knocked on the door, no answer. He tried the key pad, no hint to the code. He then surveyed the door, one locked by air pressure cylinders that pushed it closed, he only had to find then and release the air. He took his Crytos, stepped back and began to blow holes arround the door. Several hisses of air told him he'd succeded. He tried the door again, it pushed easily open.  
  
The room inside was huge, about twice the size of one of the ware houses. Catwalks wound arround the top of the room with controll panels straped onto them, the wires danlged down and led into a huge computer in the lower corner of the monstrous room. A giant object sat in the floor, taking up most of the space. He guessed it to be a satelite in assembly because of the pieces spread out all over in an orderly pattern. A low, brown table fileld room with windows spanning from floor to roof sat on the far side of the wall, it looked out into the room with the satelite. Five large silo like objects sat under the catwalks at the far end of the chasm like room, 'Fuel' 626 noted. Huge bay doors were right by the fuel tanks, they led into a much bigger room. The ceiling was a good fifty feet tall and the room was arround two hundred feet long by fifty wide. Seven huge assemblies of equipment were stationed arround the satelite, testing wires led into the huge thing.  
  
Eight or so scientists were huddled in a corner, trying not to bee seen. They saw that 626 had entered the room and hurried to a blast door that led into a small windowless room. One was too slow and got locked out. "HEY, LET ME IN!" he screamed, pounding on the door. 626 came closer, waving the guns he held. "Whats that?" he asked in a low tone, he pointed to the satelite. "No." the scientist said in a tone of desperation, and started to slide against the wall to get away. 626 pulled off a round, it missed the alien in the white lab coat and hit the fuel tank, the scientist re-set his glasses and turned around to look, the liquid was leaking out. "Next shot explodes it." 626 growled. The scientist moved several more steps. He reached the door, only to find it stuck shut. He tried hard to open it, pulling at the seam in the door, but couldn't. Fear made him tremble, he sank to the ground and held his head in his hands.  
  
"You're stuck in here and I'm the only way out. Tell me what I want a I'll let you go." 626 reasoned. "No, I've seen this before. You'll kill me after I spill my guts. I know. Just kill me now and be done with it...." he choked on his tears. 626 swung his riffles over to the fuel tanks. "You're right, I will." he said in a low tone. He was about to pull the trigger, the blast would kill the scientist and barely wound him. "Wait!" the scientist sniffed. 626 stopped. "I'll tell you..." He sighed in defeat. 626 perked his ears up in interest. The scientist started. "It all began three years ago........  
  
It turned out that a hired space pirate had assaulted the secret base out in the Zenon quadrant three years ago. He sent a team of his men to the surface of the crater posing as delivery men dropping off a box for strorage in the secret base. They put the box on the lift and left. The box contained a soldier who when inside opened the crate and pulled his assault riffle out made sure the gaurds were 'sleeping' on duty. He let the other men inside and they began to raid the place. They took all things of value and somehow picked up the booklet and diagrams for the project "C-6 D-15" Then planted explosives in the core of the asteroid and high tailed it outa there.  
  
"Eventually the plans were sold to a man named Darfinis Maurader. Maurader took the plans hired the best scientists in the galaxy and put them here to build it. He called it operation 'Death Blow', hoping to use it to unseat the council from power and then take order of the Federation himself. And here we are. We're ony a few months from launching it." he finished. "What exactly is 'it'?" 626 asked. "It is a Heleo degradification neutralizer." "In basic please.." "It is used to destroy large geleological formations in space." 626 though for a second, letting the words get processed. His heart sank when he realized what that meant. "It's a planet killer?" The scientist nodded. "None other." "Do you know how many lives will be lost?" 626 laid it out flat. The scientist skipped the subject, he was starting to feel like this small alien wasn't concerned about hurting him, only about the satelite. "We're being paid well and...."  
  
"PAID?!" 626 yelled. "You're in the middle of a dead galaxy on a planet that is nearly devoid of all life, plus you are in a base that isn't supposed to exist making something that shouldn't be. Can't you see it?" 626 chuckled. "See what?" the scientist got edgy, the small blue thing knew something that he didn't. "You aren't here to build this thing to collect the glory and credits later on. The only reason you are here is to complete the device and then he'll slaughter you all, down to the last man in a white labcoat." 626 told him. "Nope, not true...." the scientist firmly objected. "Middle of nowhere. Secret base. Bogusly high wages. You do the math."  
  
The scientist face turned as white as his lab coat. He stuttered. "No... I...can't be true. Can it? I mean..I never saw it....." he asked. "I can't... I have to get out." he started hitting the door. "You'll never get it open." 626 sighed at his ill fated attempts. "You said you'd let me go! Get me out!" the scientst shouted in desperation. "Does Cristallic inverted mean anything to you?" 626 asked. The scientist stopped, "You want that? Come. It doesn't matter anymore." he walked over to the glass room and punched the security code in. 626 followed him close behind. "Here." the scientist stopped at a table and pointed on it. He walked off to a console in the corner and was quiet about whatever he was doing. 626 leapt up on the table and looked for whatever the white coat pointed to. He saw five small, square disk-like objects with a tiny red crystal in the center of a gold plater disk. Success! He stuffed them into his back pack and re slung it on his back. He peered over his shoulder, the Scientist was just too good to be true.  
  
The scientist came back from over by the computer. "We need to go." he announced. "No, I want to dis-able the satelite." 626 said. "No, we need to go." 626 looked at him. "I've got the guns, I say we stay. Wait......What did you just do over there." he raised an eyebrow. "We have fifteen minutes to get out of here." the scientist said in a dead serious voice. "Self destruct." 626 figured. Both emmerged from the room and headed for the door. The tall scientist introduced himself as Roland on the walk over, 626 refused to give his title. 626 watched as Roland passed the blast door, he didn't even bother to give his colleauges the chance to get out. "What about them?" 626 pointed to the blast proof door. "They'd never listen." he replied simply. "You won't even give them a chance." 626 shot back. "Only as much as they gave me." Roland muttered. 626 decided that it was best to leave that issue alone.  
  
"I hope you have some way of getting out of here, the door is locked." Roland said distasefully. 626 nodded. "Yep." 626 slung two of the riffles on his shoulder. He braced himself, then approached the door. With all he strength he slowly pulled the doors apart, pushing thier bent shape into the sides of the jam. "Whoa." Roland stared. 626 had already taken off down the hall to the elevator.  
  
626 tossed a brick of C-7 into every room he passed, just to lighten his load. Roland followed behind him, not realizing the elevator was broken. 626 pushed open the doors and holstered all his guns. He then jumped up onto the roof and climbed out an axcess hole. Roland knew what the blue creature had done, he hoped he would climb a ladder in fifteen minutes. 626 was nearly up by the time Roland started. "I'd like to take time and visit those fat slobs on the tenth floor and give the greedy blitznak's what for, But we're short on time." Roland announced while he was climbing. 626 ignored him and continued to climb. He reached the first floor.  
  
He peered out a crack in the door on the first floor, ten Chassi bots were waiting for him, their riffles pointed at the elevator door. He jumped back and caught the opposite wall with his claws, he held the Crytos III with one arm, he slowly pulled the trigger. The sound of the gun whined in the small space, the door was getting torn to shreds, he heard instant destruction on the other side. He stopped and listened, nothing, no breath from the occupants outside, light streamed into the holes in the door. He wrenched them open and emmerged. He took a second to get his eyes adjusted to the light in the lobby. The ten soldiers were now just lifeless forms, their oil pooled into the dip in the floor. Most of the heads were gone, some of the metal arms were gone. The smell of burnt wires was semi- pleasing to 626. Roland climbed out of the shaft, dirt sticking to his white lab coat. He gave a grin. "Made it."  
  
He stood up and took one look outside, he fell to the floor. Not a second later laser rounds hit where he was standing. "The whole damned base is on alert. They've got tons of Chassi bots out there." he informed 626 who seemed to ignore his every comment. "I'll go back here, somewhere safe." Roland crawled along the floor to the back of the lobby. 626 ran to one of the pillars in the lobby, he already had a plan formulated.  
  
Out side the base was on full alert, soldiers rushed arround, taking up defensive positions and setting up blockades on the road. They had their orders, capture the blue alien at all costs. They had surrounded the Apartment, waiting for the thing to come out. Tanks and heavy armnaments had their barrels facing the doors, waiting for the command to shoot and tear the place apart. All was quiet inside, the lights had been turned out, it did them no good, 626 prefered the dark. The robots milled arround, waiting for him.  
  
The night was lit up by the explosion of the two tanks, the ground shook violently. Shrapnel cut into the soldiers standing too close, the hot metal dug into their circuits, burning it. Riffle fire opened up, the soldiers couldn't see any thing, the just shot. The front of the buliding exloded in a shower of fire, the blaster rounds blowing chunks out of the brick, a red dust filled the air. 626 had taken defence behind a pillar, a thick one at that. The fire stopped, he pulled out his knife, gripped the blade and peeked out, he spotted a soldier. He flung the knife with all he had. It flew through the air like lightning, it hit the intended soldier with so much force that it traveled through him and exited out the other side, putting him offline instantly. His finger pulled the trigger, the riffle cracked two times, one round went harmlessly into the woods, the other hit a nearby soldier in the head, exploding it. 626 snickered when he heard the thump of the knife. He realized he hadn't much time. He would be pinned down for the next hour, unless. He had a crazy idea, so crazy, it might just work.  
  
"Where are you going?!" Roland yelled. The blue alien darted to the back of the building, smashing down any door he came a cross. Roland stood up, guessing that the fight was over. Then the ground shook, he layed flat on the floor again.  
  
The soldiers waited for several seconds before firing again. Their shots still didn't find any target. They all looked up, the wall of the apartment was comming closer. They'd seen it too late. The force the buliding hit the ground measue a 2.5 in the ricter scale, the superstructure disintigrated when it slid, sending tons of bricks into the warehouses, effectively destroying them. The Hydrogyn tanks used for heating fuel exploded, sending a streak of fire into the sky, lighting it up for a while. The spiraling tower of inferno reached to the sky, bight enough so that you can see it from space. It died when the fuel ran out.  
  
A somewhat smoke out 626 laughed at the immence dammage. He'd cracked the foundation of the building and tipped it over, small feat. He watched for any soldiers that survived the huge rain of bricks, none appeared. Roland stood up from the floor, a little disorientated from the blast. He swayed drunkenly. "What....how? did you do that." he stammered. "Let's go." 626 said without emotion.  
  
Roland took a high speed truck and put the pedal to the metal. He drove out of sight in a few seconds. 626's mental clock told him he had eight minutes to get the hell outa there. He grabbed a small transport cruiser, hotwired it and took off toward the field. He was a long way from the whole he'd cut. He hoped he had enough time. Three minutes. 626 shot through the hole he'd cut in the fence earlier that day and into the field of waving grass. He slammed on the air brakes and jumped off the the cruiser. He took out the comms unit Jumba gave him and shouted into it. "GET ME OUT OF HERE!" no reply came back. 626 looked imaptiently at the apartment. Ten seconds. He tried again. "JUMBA, I HAVE FIVE SECONDS BEFORE I AM TOAST!" he screamed. Three......Two.......One. 626 felt a tingling sensation, the field dissappeared and his vision swirled inward.  
  
The ground shook, removing any neatly stacked boxes in the ware houses to the floor. Where the huge apartments once stood bulged out, the explosion subsided. A huge blast rocked the warehouses, the C-7's only helped the destruction. The countdown was linked to the nuclear fusion reactor deep within the base. For a brief second the ware houses were pulled unto a dip on the ground, then were thrown up into the air. A huge fire ball turned slowly into gigantic explosion and then curled under into a mushroom. The shockwave flattened the jungle one hundred miles in every dirrection. Fires broke out in the forest, the planet would eventually burn into the ground. The dammage was so cacastrophic that you could see it from orbiting the planet.  
  
626 vision returned to normal, the bright light of the cruiser was intense compared to the dark night of Chenadiss. He waited for a few seconds then opened his eyes. Jumba stood over him grining in success, "I suppose you have it?" He smiled. "Nope, " 626 said, just to worry Jumba, who's expression turned sour, "Them , I have them." Jumba smiled again. 626 handed him the pack and went to the bathroom. Inside he found a mirror. His orange suit was darkened, blood stained it in several places and a hole from where the blaster hit showed. He winced as he touched the wound. That was where the blood was comming from. He pulled off the suit and wrung it out in the shower, the blood dripped off. He threw the suit into a corner and looked at himself in a mirror, there was a fine dust on his head, spots where the blood leaked through. He felt dirty, although he didn't look it, he felt it. He climbed into the shower and slowly turned the handle, the water dripped out then beacame a full flow. He winced when he went into the stream. This was totally against his nature, but what needed to be done... It was warm and realixing if you didn't think it was water. Soothing warmness flowed over him, washing all the dirt out of his wound. When the blood and dust was washed away he turned off the water and shook off. He then carefully dried himself with a towel.  
  
Jumba opened the bag and saw some thing reflect, he pulled them out, the inverters, five of them. He then produced the boxed object, which said it had thirty two features on the box. "626, you are crazy, a swiss pocket knife." he chuckled, he found a wadded up piece of paper, strange lettering was written on it, even he didn't understand it. 626 came out of the bathroom rubbing himself with a towel. "Was there an underground lab?" he asked him. "Several." 626 answered.  
  
Jumba set a course for Turo. He then pulled another bottle of liquor out of the small cooler in the kitchen and poured some into his glass he'd used that whole evening. He sat down on the remaining couch and listened to what 626 had to say about the base and the warehouses.  
  
*  
  
Exausted and tired, 327 sat at the computer, there was nothing else to do at five in the morning. She paged through the news like she did all the time. The computer screen was the only thing in the room giving off light, it cast an eerie blue glow arround the room. She was waiting for Jumba to return with 626. 625 had whined the whole evening about there being no bread, and that Jumba was a greedy hog for taking it with him. Zri had stopped by several more times to check in, nothing suspocious about that. But he did seem to be poking arround the palce quite a bit. The news was nothing new, she yawned and headed back to bed. Halfway there she heard a noise, not one of the regular ones like there always was, a different noise. A noise like something was moving, stalking. She scanned the darkness, and listened carefully, nothing. She continued on her way, passing it off as nothing, probably 625.  
  
She heard it again, this time she crouched into a doorway. "625." she whispered. Something moved closer, she felt it. Her fear took over. She leapt up and started to run to the safest place she could think of. A sharp pain shot up her back, she reached for where it was, to try and pull it out. Another prick, this time lower, on her leg, she couldn't tell she was getting numb. She began to skake, another pain. She could barely stand, another, this time it felt like a push, a pressure, not a needle. She fell over on her back, her vision started to fade, black seeped into her range of vision. A dark shadowed figure passed her motionless body, and hovered arround her. 'How?....What?...' she thought. 327 started blacked out, only to see a hand comming closer to her face.  
  
* * * *  
  
She awoke when someone poked at her. "Wake up." Another poke, she opened her eyes, thing were blurry. She rubber her eyes. 625 was standing over her. "Get up, I'm hungry!" he poked her harder. She instinctly grabbed his arm and flung him down the hall. 327 found herself proped up against the wall. Her back hurt, she didn't know why, she didn't even know why she was on the floor, she had been going to bed, then nothing, she didn't remember. Nothing, she just blacked out. "There's nothing to eat!" 625 complained from down the hall, he didn't want to go near 327. "Run out of bread?" she asked with a hint of venom in her voice. "Yeah, and Jumba is hiding the other loaves somewhere." he whined. She stood up, her limbs were shakey. She supported herself as she walked down the hall to the kitchen, a cup of coffee would fix her ails.  
  
She siped silently at the black remedy. X sat in the corner reading, 594 was busy looking for the bread as was 625. Some one else was in the room, experiment 621. Experiment 621 was the same as the rest of the lot, four arms antena barbs and such. He fur was a dark black with a light tan stomach, he loudly munched on some croissants. 625 and 594 turned up with a loaf of bread and were now fighting over who got the first piece. 327 wonered why she was asleep in the hall. Why hadn't she made it to her bed. What was that pain in her back?  
  
Two hours later she felt light headed, then she realized that she had been tranquilized, the light headedness was a side effect. All f Jumba's experiments suffered from, that. She searched all over for any missing experiments,all were accounted for, even the deceased and the cryo frozen ones. Nothing seemed out of the usual. She blew it off as an experiment having fun. She reminded herself to tell Jumba. 


	7. Error 626

Error # 626  
  
After returning from Chenadiss Jumba returned Zri's power cables and installed the inverter. After he heard 327 bizarre story he thought it was intreuging that someone would want to tranquilize 327, then just leave her lay on the floor. He tired to return the loaves of bread to the kitchen, but was 'attacked' on the way there and the bread went 'missing', no one saw it there after.  
  
The next two days following after they got back from Chenadiss were hell on most of the other experiments, they feared to go near 626. With the battle still fresh in his mind, he acted unruly and unpredictable at sometimes. Jumba tried to calm him down, but he ended up running too. So he tried to get as much done as possible amidst the snarls and hisses. Every once and a while he threatened 626 that he would stun him and put him in some hand cuffs, that seemed to calm him down a bit. Only for a brief while though.  
  
Jumba was sitting at his desk in the large place that he called his office. He was looking through some data he'd collected on the inverter. He felt uneasy about 626 being disturbingly 'overactive' as he called it. He'd noticed something else about 626, that whenever he was arround 327 he acted normal, if you could call it that. There seemed to be something about him, something that bothered Jumba. He desperately wanted to find out what could be a possible trigger to 626's destruciveness. He had a hunch and was going to prove it. He got up and grabbed a tranqulizer from the desk and went to find 626. Although he had created 626, most of the behavioral elements were left up to the origional codes from all of the combined DNA that he used.  
  
He found 626 in the library, spead out over a book, deep in concentration. It didn't seem right to barge in there and start creating havoc, he did finally wind down, although he didn't know for how long. "626, come here, I have a test I want to do." He didn't listen, he continued to read. Jumba nudged the seat where 626 sat, "Get up." Jumba demanded. He still didn't listen. Jumba kicked the chair with all his strength, 626 and the chair went flying. He recovered from the flight and immediately began snarling, he ran straight for Jumba. 'Perfect' Jumba thought. He raised the tranquilizer and fired, the dart hit 626 in the chest, slowing him down. It didn't stop him he still kept comming, another dart was shot. 626 felt drunk and heavy, he still tried to get Jumba, he was drooling incoherrently now. Another dart. He wobbled and fell over. 'First part was a success, now for part two.' Jumba scribbled on a note pad, '626 plays his hand how he sees it, he saw hostility and reacted on that. His instincts are to destroy anything that poses a threat to him. Which is unusual, because I made him to act like this whenever he felt like this' He walked over and carefully picked 626 up, he had some other tests he wanted to run.  
  
He layed 626 on a table in the medical lab area. Jumba grabbed a test swab and ran it along 626's barbs, he was going to test the poisin and find an antidote to it. He examined the swab, nothing was on it, he wiped it again. Still nothing. He was puzzled at this, this meant 626 had no poisin, or he secreted it, mostlikely at times of danger. He sided with the second theory. That brought him to another conclusion, the potent liquid evaporated. He would have to wait untill the drugs wore off to administer the second test.  
  
He entered the freezer, or the mourge, either was apropriate. The cold air bit at his monstrous form. On the wall were small door with numbers on them, three numbers. He rolled one one them open, three small figures, frozen, dead. A look of a painful death was wrought on their faces. Their small bodies were covered in frost, the stomachs were caved in. Experiments 395, 396, 398, had all contracted a disease, or more like a bioligical virus that ate at the intestines and ribs, casing internal bleeding and eventually death. Jumba had a small device in his hand, he passed it over the three, he got the data on the blood's dna, enought for him to compare it with 626's poisin, and woh it would react to it. He closed the sliding tray and cleaned the handle, otherwise ice would develope. He looked arround at the wall, something was not right, ice covered the handle of one of the handles, and he knew whenever he touched one he cleaned it. He walked over and pulled, it seemed light, too light. His face turned into confusion, only one remained, there were three in there last time he looked. He closed the door and went to talk to 327, she had been in charge of what went on while he was gone.  
  
327 shared his confusion, "Nothing was wrong while I was watching everything, I only..." she stopped and put two and two together. The tranqulizer and the missing experiments. A look of 'oh-no' crossed her face, Jumba saw it. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Remember when you were gone, I told you I had fallen asleep in the hall, Later on I realized that I had been tranqued, I just passed it off as someone having fun." Jumba's expression turned grim as he looked at 327. They both knew that there was nothing they could do, Jumba only hoped the genetic signature would still be active. In every experiment he'd done he encoded the dna and everything, so that with only the right atmosphere and the right order could the dna be manipulated and turned into living flesh. He'd have to ask 626's opinion, that is, if his hunch paid off.  
  
He slowly drifted back into reality, the cold of the table cut into him like knife. His mouth was dry and his throat felt scratchy, a feeling of pressure loomed over his head. The dream all made sence now, Jumba had betrayed him. He opened his eyes and saw the lab, the familiar smell of everything inside, 'Maybe not' he mumbled. He curled up into a ball and lay still, waiting for something. He heard the door hiss, someone walked in. "Hello 626, how are you," a friendly voice said. 'Jumba' he thought with an ice cold mind. Jumba was testing part two of the experiment. "Sorry about the darts, it was a test, I hope you are not on wrong terms with me." 'Why would I be, I've only been drugged for the past couple of hours.' 626 thought. 'And I have a headache, a bad one at that too.' "626 come on, " Jumba touched him, he moved away. "Ok be that way, but you don't get any desert tonight." 626's ears stood up, "You wouldn't." "I'll give your desert to 625," Jumba said, knowing 625 and 626 had a 'thing' for eachother. 626 sat up, "Fine, what do you want." he said with a feeling if defeat. "That's more like it," Jumba smiled. He turned and wrote on his clipborad, '626 does act on the hand played, he has no grudge against me when I treated him kindly, even after I ruined his afternoon.'  
  
The freezer was cold, even with the combat suit on. His breath turned into mist. The freezer seemed huge to his small form. Jumba asked him to find out why the experiments were gone. "Hehe, 626, battle master and private eye." he laughed trying to get his mind off the cold. He spotted the red tag Jumba put on the handle, he slid the tray open. Inside was an alien like himself, there were two places where two others had been, some of the fur was frozen to the bottom of the tray. From the color they were both a maroonish color, he found some thing else in the tray, a piece of black thread. He snooped arround some more and found another piece caught on the door handle. All he had to go on was a black piece of thread. He traced steps all over the halls and other room, looking for more thread, none showed up. He gave up and went to the bathroom to wash for dinner.  
  
While washing his paws he spotted a rock on the floor, he picked it up as a possible piece of evidence. He ate dinner and desert, which 625 had missed out on. He told Jumba what he found and continued searching. He retired to bed when he didn't get any further in his investigation.  
  
He was shaken awake, ignoring it he turned over. It came again, "626 wake up," Jumba said with a sence of urgency in his voice. 626 sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, "What is it now?, 625 eat every piece of bread?." Jumba gave him a stern look. "No, worse, two more experiments are gone." 626 got up and put on his battle uniform. "Did you find any more black thread?" "No, but I didn't look." "How long ago did you find this out?" 626 asked. "A few minutes." 626 got up and left the room and headed to the freezer.  
  
When he entered he noticed a change in the temperature from yesterday. That meant there had been some one in and out several times, or the door had been left open for a long time. He sniffed the air, he noticed a smell faintly in it. He took a deeper sniff, it was something he'd not smelled, an odor of decay, something dead had been in here. No, not frozen, a rotting corpse smell. The rack with the experiments had been pulled out, two were missing. He thought like a detective. Four had been taken, why four?, was there a connection between the bodies?, what about the black thread?. He searched the place for the black string, he found one piece, it had gotten caught on the handle for the tray. He noted the numbers of the four missing and went to ask Jumba about them.  
  
"What makes you think the bodies have a connection?" Jumba laughed. "I've run into a corner and need a way out, just look will you." 626 demanded. "Ok." Jumba groaned. 626 left the room. He got on the computer and brought up a search record. He typed in the four experiments numbers and searched. The screen popped up. Only one thing in common, they all had died before they came out of cryo sleep. There was five more that hadn't been swiped that were also brough up in the similarities category. They all died before 'birth'.  
  
626 knew they would be back later on. Jumba had told him the similarities. Before he went to bed he set up a generator and put wires on the door. He then ran twenty thousand volts over it. He set it up to send power to the door every two seconds, the person taking the experiments had better be damn quick or they would become fried chicken. The generator would short out and turn on the smoke alarms and wake everybody up. He retired to sleep. He woke up two times, once when 625 entered the room and the other when he left.  
  
Quiet, nothing. The morning air was as dead as the night itself. This alarmed 626, nothing had been fried during the night. No one even seemed to move outside his door. He looked over at 625's bed, it was still un-made. "Odd." he thought. He began to feel unsafe in the lab things were dissappearing, he grabbed his Crytos III from under the bed where he'd been storing it. He slung it over his shoulder and exited the room. He walked down the hall, Jumba spotted him, "Uho, 626 why is that riffle on your back?" 626 slung it off his back, "I'm going to check my trap, and I don't like the idea of things dissappearing." Jumba shrugged and continued down the hall.  
  
The door still hummed with the current. He turned off the generator and went to check the door. Odd, no scorch marks, no fried anything. He began to thing there was something else, something phantomly stealing the dead experiments. He went inside, the air was cold, colder than ever before. He checked the trays, no more were missing. This really spooked him, now maybe they were taking live experiments. He shut the door and ran to see if 327 still existed in the lab.  
  
626 had grown attached to 327, they were like boyfriend/girlfriend. They both shared the same feelings toward each other. If anything happened to 327 he'd kill everything that stood in his path to get her back. "327, 327," He shouted while entering her room. "What is it?" came a half hearted reply. She saw 626, "Oh, I thought you were 625, by the way where is he?" "Good question," 626 said relieved that she was still there. He and 327 searched the whole lab, every square inch. 625 didn't appear, he was a ghost lost somewhere. "Where have you been these last few days?" 626 asked 327. "What? I've been here all the time." she said. "No, not really. I had been looking for you yesterday, but you weren't here, but then again that was at five in the morning." 626 told her. "I'm usually up then, doing stuff and getting ready for the day. I'm suprized you didn't see me anywhere." she said alarmed. "Well I didn't.....I..." 626 paused. "Have to go tell Jumba something." he ran off from the controll room.  
  
Jumba was very disturbed at this finding, they had taken dead experiments, now they were taking live ones. They thought 'they' because it would take more than one alien to carry out two frozen experiments and leave a clean trail. All three were now frustrated, they had no leads whatsoever, they kept this between the three for safety reasons. 626 brought up the idea of an inside man. He had tried several times to get inside after he'd intentionally locked himself out, it was impossible. Jumba searched a second time for the missing alien, 625, no avail.  
  
626 carried out his investigation on the missing experiments, dead or alive he would find them. His persiverence and mystification of what and why drove him. He told Jumba and 327 that he'd stay up and walk the halways. Jumba gave him the go ahead to shoot anything he saw, provided it was not an experiment, which he warned all the other experiemnts not to go outside their rooms that night.  
  
He had one cup of coffee, that was enough to keep him awake for a month, he ran up and down the hallways for the first hour. He then soon wore out and reverted to walking. He sniffed the air every now and then to smell any change in the lab. He walked for five hours, nothing, his thoughts were now on an inside man, and he had alerted them. There was only three hours till dawn, and no sign of them. He sat down in exaustion. He sniffed, his nose was getting tired. Some thing reaked, the same smell he'd smelled in the freezer, this time it was stronger, he thought it was on top of him. He scanned the whole area nothing. Chills ran up his spine, there was something out there.  
  
He heard them, two of them, their breathing came in ragged wheezez. The stench was unbearable, he nearly threw up. His stomach curled when they growled, it was actually like an almost silent shriek, the lungs exhaled all the air when they did this. He turned behind him. He stared into two sets of triangle eyes, they seemed to glow with the fires of hell. They stared into his eyes, he stared the five foot distance back. They seemed to be disembodied three feet off the ground. They moved restlessly, up and down, left to right, staring at 626. He set his feet on the ground in a defencive stance, these things were NOT experiments. They came closer,"Stay Back!" 626 yelled as loud as he could. Closer, he waited, closer. Two feet. He smelled their rotten breath, the stench of decay on it.  
  
Automatic fire lit the hallway, revealing the beasts. 626's spine seemed to twist. They stood four feet tall, their huge chests heaved, three spikes ran out of their hunched backs, the fur all this way and that. The thin long arms dangled to the floor, ending in three long claws. Long doglike faces with teeth comming out of the mouth in all angles. Thier eyes were white and set back in the dog-faces, the ears were long and hairs grew off them. The hindlegs were no good to stand on. A huge furry tail hung out whipping in the air.  
  
The automatic fire tore through one of them, blowing blood and bone pieces into the hallway, the things saw the fire and ran off, one of them limped. 626 stood frozen the Crytos III felt gone, he was numb and shaky, he gazed down the hall, stunned at the horridness of the things. Something wasn't right though, something was wrong. He put several rounds into each of them, and they still walked away.  
  
Jumba came screaming down the hall, a small blaster in his large hand. "626!" he yelled. He flipped on the light. Blood covered the hallway, small pieces of white bone protruded from the mess. "626!, what happened?" Jumba yelled. 626 just stared at the empty hall, too scared to speak. "626, are you ok?." Jumba waved his hand over 626 camatose face. He slowly snapped out of it, "Yes, yes,......I'm fine." 626 shakily walked off to go to bed.  
  
Jumba took blood samples and bone samples. He used the cleaning bot to clean up the horrid mess. He was puzzled at what 626 was scared at, he obviosly saw something beyond describing, something so horrid. He made sure the lab was locked down then went back to bed, after locking the door.  
  
626 walked into the controll room where Jumba sat, he'd only gotten three hour of sleep and was bleary eyed. Jumba was seraching the dna data base of the blood. 626 picked up the piece of bone that Jumba collected, it seemed impossible heavy, not right for something that size. "I give up." Jumba admitted defeat, "There's no dna match anywhere!." He stood up and took the bone fragment to get analyzed in a space across the room. 626 hopped into the chair and started typing,"Good luck." Jumba mumbled. 626 typed rapidly, a few beeps. "Oh, Holy Shi-!" he said, a deep fear seemed to be present. Jumba whipped arround. "What?" Jumba looked at the screen. "I had a hunch, so I checked all the dna records of the lab with that of the sample, look." Jumba stared at the screen, a 3-d model of 369 popped up, the information was on the side, near perfect match. He shared 626 fear. "So someone has been stealing my experiments to mutate them, but for what profit?" "I don't know," 626 said. "But it spooks the hell out of me."  
  
Jumba rubbed the back of his kneck. "What?" 626 noticed he had done that several times before. "My kneck hurts, I don't know why though." Jumba admitted. "I'm just shocked that someone has taken several dead experiments and mutated them, that's low. But there is only one problem. No one knows I am doing this, the experiments. 625 might, but he's too lazy to really do any harm. I'd never suspect any of my expriments, I'd know if they were doing that. I just don't know." he sighed. "Who ever it is will eventually be caught." 626 re-assured him. "But untill them you will make sure they don't take any more experiments." Jumba told 626. "You are going to take night shifts and watch for them. 327 and I can take the day shift."  
  
626 growled, he really didn't like doing that. He just wanted to sit back and wait untill Jumba wanted to do some more tests. 


	8. Living Dead

Living Dead  
  
Jumba had asked him to take another patroll this night. He had already encountered the 'demon dogs' as he called them. After the startling discovery that the one he'd shot to shit was experiment 369, Jumba wondered if some one had raised them from the dead, or if they were cloned and mutated. He began to research the possibilities of this.  
  
626 now looked through Jumba's small armory for something more effective to use. Other than some riffles and small arms he found nothing, untill he looked on the floor. He spotted a long crate, the top nailed shut and some straw poking out. He pried the lid off. Inside lay an unusual weapon, it had six barrels that aparrently rotated arround the main piece, he recognized it. An Earth gun, the fastest firing weapon in the galaxy, the Dillon Minigun. The mounting hardware was gone, and all that lay in the hay besides it was five metal boxes with 30cal x 1000 painted on them. Ammo. He picked up the massive gun with his emmence strenght, he waved it arround to get the feel of how the weight would move it. A wry smile crossed his face, he had a plan.  
  
He put the Minigun into his room and went to eat dinner. He discussed his plan with 327 and Jumba who were eating in the kitchen. His plan was simple, wait by the door and blow the ever living, or dead, shit outta the 'demon dogs'. Then Jumba would get first dibs on them to see what made them tick.  
  
Three hours before sunset he placed the ammo in fall back positions and set the Minigun in a doorway nearest the front door, either they would come in the door and he would blast them, or the door would make a nice wall he could back up into so an attack from behind was impossible. He pulled up a book from the library and sat in a doorway, waiting. He paged through the book, it covered weapons of Earth, anchient to modern. At eight o clock earth time he took a box of ammo and loaded the Minigun, he had his Crytos, just in case.  
  
Like the night bofore all was silent, the only noise was that of the refridgerator and freezer turning on. A drip of water was irritating, it continued for five minutes, then stopped. One in the morning, Earth time. He was arroused by a shuffle, he wasn't asleep, he was meditaing, to increase his senses. He grabbed the Minigun and faced it toward the sound. He waited to get a visual. The figure slowly came out, the pink fur gave it away. "327? what are you doing here?" he asked. She continued walking in the dirrecton she faced. She passed him and walked toward the door. "What's going on here?" 626 asked, a concern growing in him. What was she doing? 327 seemed to have a glazed look over her face, a cold stare, a dead one at that. It freaked 626 out. She moved almost robticly, her steps were co- ordinated, in a mechanical way. She approached the door and climbed up to the keypad. "327, get down!" he shouted. She paid him no attention, she entered the code. The door slipped open.  
  
Outside were the same yellow glowing eyes as the night before, only instead of two there were three. The floated arround the place in the octaginal room impatiently. As soon as the door was slid open they growled and glided over to it. 327 got down and started to walk away. A sinking feeling grew inside him, '372?.....No.' he couldn't force himself to believe it, 'A spell, or brainwashing'. She vanished into a doorway. 626 brought the Minigun up to level, all his hatred flowed into the handle his four arms held, if filled the gun with hate. The hallway was lit up , the Minigun roared in his paws, firing the rounds into the hunched figures outside. The smell of them traveld into his nose, it was different, more disgusting, or maybe that was his hate. The shells bounced into the hall clinging and pining off the wall, time seemed to move slow. He saw the figures blood spray out into the room beyond, he could see the barrel spinning in slow motion, the crack of each round, the light of the bullet, the rotation of the barrels, the loading of another round and repeating the process. Time returned to normal when the Minigun died, the ammo gone. He threw it aside, the dogs were gone also, he stood in awe, they had taken about a thousand rounds, and dissappeared? Walked off? He saw the blood to confirm the hits, the bullet holes from where they went through and exited. There was something wrong about this, he felt it.  
  
He grabbed another can of ammo, loaded it up, slung the Crytos on his back and went out side Jumba's lab. He saw the octaginal room empty, the things gone. At least for the moment. He looked for bloody prints that told the dirrection of where they went, none were present. He looked for other signs, a door agape, window shattered. Nothing. Nothing at all. They made a clean get away, too clean. He heard it again, the ragged breathing, followed by the horrid smell.  
  
They were coming. And he was ready. Looking all over the place to find out where they would come from. He realized the lab door was still open, which was bad. He carefully backed up to close it. The noise was comming closer. 626 reached up to close himself outside, but stopped. The noise was comming from behind him, in the lab. Shivers ran up his spine when he felt the humid breath of the thing down his back. He didn't want to turn arround, to face the thing. In a lighting fast motion, 626 whipped the minigun arround stuck the doorway, he dropped it and pulled the combat knife out of the sheath on his back. The beast was ready to move, to jump on 626. But 626 was too fast, he jabbed the knife right through the jaw and up into the brain, which should have killed the beast instantly. But this only confirmed they were not alive.  
  
The beast roared, the knife slipped out of it's jaw and clattered to the floor, not even a drop of blood was released. 626 was shocked. He whipped out his Crytos and was ready to fire, when the other beast dropped down from the glass roof in the octagonal room, right behind him. He was now trapped, no way out, except death. By whatever means he had to draw them out from the lab. He fired a burst from his gun, all the shots hitting the beast in the chest. 626 bolted over to the wall and climbed halfway up, and looked back. They were right on him, crawling up the wall. This was whne he realized that there were three beasts, the third one was doing something, these were a distraction.  
  
The blue alien back flipped off the wall, firing whenever he got the chance to. He ran over to the door, or tried to. One of the huge beasts jumped in his way and began snarling. But that was all he did, just try to prevent 626 from entering. The other one was hell bent on destroying 626, he came full force. 626 rolled under it and fired several shots right up it's patookie. The beast realized it'error and began another attack. It climbed up on the wall and began to circle 626, who was desperately trying to blow it off the wall, but ened up chewing up the drywall behind it.  
  
626 was beginning to think these things were invincible, no matter how many rounds they took, they shrugged them off. Never the less 626 continued his bombardment, scoring tons of hits, the beast was starting to look like swiss cheese, holes in every limb and any other body area. He swore he'd broken any bone in it's body, but it was still going. He stopped when the barrel was red hot. The beast stopped too, he leapt off the wall and stared at 626.  
  
626 froze, the damned thing stopped and was looking at him. He realized this was a mistake, the beast behind him had a chance to sneak up and kick 626. The blie experiment flew across the room and hit the wall hard, hard enough to blacken his vision for a second. He quickly recovered and turned, pulling out his pistols. They were gone. He made sure of that, then collapsed into the pool of blood on the ground, breathing heavily.  
  
He layed in the crimson red pool for a minute, thinking. They had distracted him from something, he'd have to check the freezer. Another thought entered his head, 'Jumba should have heard something. He should have been here.' he sat up, the blood dripped off his barbs and to the floor. He stood up and walked over to the door.  
  
Jumba heard the noise and came running with the same blaster in hand. He saw the open lab door, 626 outside. He saw the tell tale pools of blood and the bullet holes in the wall, some pieces of the things lay on the ground. Among them was a furry ear, half a leg, and the top of a skull, the fur still clung to it. His stomach heaved. He held back the nausea. "There gone. Again." 626 said flatly. "Gone?" Jumba asked. "Yep. Put a thousand rounds into them between the three. Gone. No bodies, nothing." he stared into the pools of blood, expecting to find answers there. "They are truely not of this world."Jumba stated. "Or they are living dead." 626 put in. "Come to bed 626, they won't return tonight. We'll clean this up tomorrow." 626 stayed silent about 327, he wasn't sure. 'Three? why one more?' he thought. 625. It had something to do with 625. He swore to get to the bottom of this. He closed the door and broke the key pad. Jumba had another way to open it anyway. "Where were you? I was shooting up the joint for nearly half an hour, and you were sleeping. What is up with that?" 626 asked point blank to Jumba. "I only heard several shots, that's it. I grabbed my gun and came running." Jumba said, confused at what 626 was saying. "Half an hour, are you sure?" 626 nodded. "I have something to check." 626 ran off.  
  
626 checked his hunch, it paid off to well. The whole freezer was in shambles, the racks pulled out, every last experiment, gone. And to make the situtation even worse there wasn't a trace of the break in, of the freezer. This frustrated 626 to the point of loosing controll. Jumba closed the freezer and said he'd clean it up later.  
  
Jumba led the way down the hall, he slowly walked, without a care in the world. At an intersection in the dead middle of the lab. A pretty good sized room connected the four hallways. Jumba sniffed, "Oh...... augh! what is that smell?" he exclaimed. 626 passed it off, Jumba was tired. "626, smell." Jumba said. A dead weight dropped inside him, he didn't want to sniff, he knew what it was. "Jumba get out of here. Run. Get into the lock down safe." 626 said, a look of dead seriousness upon his face. Jumba ran. A fear was inside him, 626 thought it was fear that gave him wings, he seemed to fly down the hall.  
  
Silence, the halls were filled with it. Sweat rolled down his face and into his combat uniform. The hallways were lit, Jumba had turned them on. He slowly turned arround making a three sixty degree circle, he repeated this. The smell came closer, the ragged gasping of the demons echoed in the hall. He nervously looked down the four halls, nothing. The breathing came closer, almost on top of him. Something sprinkled onto his head, he slowly looked up. Some more fell into his face and eyes. He rubbed it out, and cautiously looked up. The air ducts above him were bending slowly, something went through them, the dust from insde fell out the small cracks. He pulled his Crytos off his back and aimed it up.  
  
The lights went out, everything was bathed in darkness. A loud shuffle came down one of the halls. "Holy Shit!, they planned this!" he slowly and carefully looked down every hall, nothing. No yellow glowing eyes, no sound. The ragged breathing stopped. Silence. Chills ran up his spine. He turned around nervously. The only sound was the deep beating of his heart, adrenaline was pumped through his veins. His breathing was sharp and fast. He stopped breathing, nothing, dead silence. A soft thumping, it continued, closer. He turned arround too late.  
  
The yellow eyes were three inches away from his face, the air he breathed was the exhale of the ugly beast, the stench made his lungs spasm. The impact knocked him into the air, he dropped the Minigun, the only thing that kept the beasts at bay. The dog landed ontop of him thrusting all the air out of his lungs. A pain on the sides of his head increased, the hot air comming out of the thing's mouth was making him choke, a wetnesss dripped on his face. He realized the thing had his head in it's mouth. He fought the bile in his throat as he reached up with all four arms. He grabbed the jaw full of teeth and pulled apart. The jaws of death slowly opened, he reomved his head, now covered in the slime. He was getting tired of these things, he wanted it all to end here, all his hatred powered his movements. The 'demon dog's' claws dug into 626's stomach, they only succeded to rip his uniform. He pulled at the jaw with all the strenght he could, a ripping sound could be heard over the snarls and growls of the beast. A snap. 626 was covered in blood as he tore the jaw off the beast. A yipping sound and the beast jumped off 626. "Oh no you don't!" He grabbed the dog's tail and pulled, it scratched on the floor, trying to get away. 626 showed no compassion as he turned the thing arround and mercilessly beat it over the head with it's own jaw bone. A continued snap of the skull echoed through the dark corridor.  
  
626 beat untill the thing didn't move a muscle. He still had hatred at the beast. He continued to beat the skull into a pulp. The only sound now was the occasional squish as the jaw beat on the lifeless thing's flattened head. His eyes adjusted to the light, he now saw perfectly. No more beasts loomed in the hall. All was quiet again, no wheezing. The red, hot blood was on the wall in 626's vision, it soon turned cold as the heat was released.  
  
Jumba didn't have time to get into the safe, he jumped into a door way down the hall and hoped the things wouldn't find him. He heard 626 calling his name. He got up from the floor and turned on the light in the small room. He opened the door, 626 had been attracted by the light. Jumba had an expression on horror on his face, 626 stood in the doorway, blood covered his small blue body, the orange uniform was shredded. He held a bloody lump of something in his hand, teeth protruded from the bloody mess. 626 looked at Jumba, his dark eyes stared into Jumba. They were filled with hatred,a fire burned within them. And then there was a look of contentment, a joyous expression. "What is that?" he pointed to the lump of gore in 626's hand. 626 brought it up to his face, "I think it's the beasts' jaw, anyway one of them is dead." 626 dropped the jawbone. The ragged flesh smacked into the floor and made a sick sound, Jumba cringed.  
  
Jumba turned on the power to the hall from the small room where he and 626 were. There was a panel in every room for that. 626 walked out into the hall, Jumba in close pursuit. 626 rounded the corned where the beast lay. He froze, his jaw dropped, "Where's the body?" he said in alarm. Jumba gazed at the pool of blood, nothing was in it. The signs of a battle were iminent. There was blood splashed onto the wall, deep claw marks were dug into the floor, this was too realistic to be a set-up. 626 stared, still shocked. The bloody lump of a body had dissappeared, no trail of blood to follow, no nothing. It had vanished into thin air. Jumba had seen this for three times now, no body, but yet a confirmed kill, the jaw prooved it. The blood on the wall didn't lie, it was perfectly splashed, as in something beating it. He was begining to think 626 was delerious, but yet the blood was real. He bent down and touched it, yep it was real. He stood up and went for the comms room, 626 followed.  
  
Halfway there he staggered in the hallway, he felt faint. His head spun, he shook it trying to clear it. Nothing helped. His vision clouded, the clouds became a black haze. He was confused. Jumba leaned up against the wall for support, he gasped. A pain grew in th eback of his kneck.  
  
626 watched as Jumba held onto the wall for stability, he looked drunk. "Are you alright?" he asked. Jumba still wobbled, aparently light headed. He put his hands on his knees, and stood there. 626 watched with curiosity, he'd never seen this before. Jumba stood up,"Yes, 626, I'm fine." There was a cold tone in the voice, it definately didn't sound like Jumba, more like a robotic speech, no enthusiasm or any emotions, he just said it coldly. He watched as Jumba reached into his lab coat, back toward 626. "626, I think I'd better put you down for a while, untill I get matters cleared up." he said in the cold lifeless tone. Jumba turned arround, tranquilizer in hand. 626 was confused, he saw the same face that was plastered onto 327 on Jumba's face. "What?" 626 asked alarmed. "What are you doing?!" 626 didn't have time to think, he just ran.  
  
Jumba lugged to keep up, 626 was far ahead. 'What the hell is going on here?' he asked himself as he dodged the darts, the blood on him made him slip several times. '327, Now Jumba who next?' He was running out of places to go, the lab was fast ending. He ran into a corner, he bolted through a door. He smacked into 327. "Sorry." she apologized. 626 pushed her away. "What's wrong 626?" she asked. He had run into a room with no other exits, dead end. 626 crawled up several boxes, trying to find a way out. He moved arround like a trapped animal. "626,?" she repeated, he heard Jumba comming. "Hide, he'll get you too!" 626 yelled in desperation. "Who?" 327 said calmly. Jumba slowly walked into the room. He laughed insanely. 626 stared at him, he aimed the tranq at him. "327, He's gone mad!" He yelled to her.  
  
His heart pounded in his chest. 327's expression changed, it was no longer a wierd glance, it was the robotic look Jumba had. 626 screamed, he could have killed them both, but he couldn't they were his family. "No,626, You've gone mad, shooting up the joint. Killing invisible things, you're the crazy one." 327 said icily. "Jumba, tell her." 626 said, a hint of fear in his voice. Jumba looked at him, "She's right, 626. You have gone mad. There were no 'demon dogs', your hallucinating. You've become to dangerous to keep. I'm going to put you under." "B-but," he stammered. "Look!" he held up a piece of the tattered suit stained with blood. "626, there is nothing there." Jumba said calmly. 626 looked down, his suit was clean and unripped, no blood stains or rips. He stared in disbelief. What was going on? "Good night, 626." Jumba snarled.  
  
626 couldn't belive this, he had seen them, he wasn't hallucinating, they were. He was sure of it. He breathed heavily, he started feeling light headed from it. 327 and Jumba stared, a remorseless stare. He wasn't going to give up. He back up to the stone cold wall, he had no where to go. He snarled. A dart hit him. He walked foreward. Another. Dizzyness set in. Another. He breathed shallow now, his world spun. The dream now entered his head, he was certain Jumba would betray him this time. The last dart he remembered hit him. He slowly sunk into unconscousness. 


	9. Seeking the Answers

Seeking the Answers  
  
'It was all a dream' he thought. 'A bad one at that' The last thing he'd seen was Jumba's face, it was cold and unwavering. A thought flashed into his mind, "Your dangerous, 626" That was truth, he was dangerous, but he'd never harm Jumba or 327. He slowly convinced him self that there was something more sinister behind them. "Your dangerous, 626." These words echoed in his head and slowly brought him awake, he felt like he had a hangover. Pain moved up and down his body, he remembered that the tranquilizer put great stresses on his nerves, giving the illusion of pain.  
  
The atmosphere was different, he felt it. A slight change in the air pressure told him he wasn't in Jumba's lab anymore. There was an odor in the air, a very faint smell of Jumba's lab was present, then there was the smell of those dogs. He coughed. It was dark, too dark for him to see the room's layout. He wasn't sure his eyes were open, he blinked twice to confirm. His mouth was dry, a side effect from the tranquilizer. He tried to move, he couldn't, his body was numb and he couldn't see what restrained him. He violently jerked arround to try and release himself. He still remained constricted. He didn't call out for help, he knew it would bring the thing that had imprisoned him. The uncomfortable position in which he was restrained pulled on his arms and tendons, he felt like he was stretched the distance between a optical wire pole.  
  
A thin stream of light appeared on the wall facing him, the room was bathed in light. He closed his eyes, the room continued to brighten. He opened them when he was sure they were adjusted. The room was a small box, the walls were steel, he lay on a table at a 45 degree angle pointed toward the window that opened up. His four arms were strapped to the table, he looked for a way out, there appeared to be no seams in the bonds, they were fused to the table. He tried to move his legs, they were restrained too. He noticed his combat suit was ripped and stained with blood, his bare chest exposed. The window had bolts around the perimeter. A thick piece of glass was between him and the exit. He looked out of the window, there was a white wall, nothing else. He hadn't ever seen this in Jumba's lab. But then again he wasn't in his lab. He saw a window to his right,in a different cell he barely made out the figure upon the table, 625. He looked like hell, his fur, this way and that. His head hung on his chest, obviously unconscious, or dead. He was ready to give up, something told him to hold on, he tried to keep himself from slipping into unconsciousness.  
  
He stared at the wall. Waiting. He had to keep from slipping into the void, he occupied his mind. An evil thought crossed his mind, was this some sort of torture or execution room? He watched as a figure moved in front of the window. Zri. He nor realized why the tactician had looked at him like a prize before. He watched as he pushed a button on the wall. A speaker fuzzed. "Well, 626. What a surprize." he said. 626 only glared. He saw the black undershirt, it was frayed at an edge, ripped by something. He realized it now, Zri had taken great interest in him when they first met. He either wanted him for himself or to sell to the highest bidder. 'Greed', he thought, 'Drives men to do strange things.' "Who's paying you?" 626 asked, venom in his voice. Zri gave a cold stare, "No one, I employ myself." Jumba had betrayed him. "Why?" he asked. Zri stared as if it was painfully obvious.  
  
"626, you were created to be the most efficient killing machine. Ulimately, terminate anything in your way. Jumba realized he'd gone to far, he'd created the ultimate soldier, you were perfect, too perfect. Jumba had a contract with an agency, he'd recieve funding for his experiments, in return he had to create you. Very early in his tests with the experiments he realized that you they were not objects to be sold or bartered with, they had a personality and a soul, there fore they could make descisions themselves. The 'Agency', as they are known in the galaxy, thought Jumba to be overstepping his bounds and rebelling. They cut his funding several years back, but he still produces his experiments. I still work for the 'Agency', they sent me after him years ago to check up on him and get close. I did, the ploy of a Chemical Engineer was successful. We became good friends, I almost decided to give up on the plot to eventually steal an experiment. I have recently been accepted in a strategic plan for domination of the Universe. Privided I get the Ultimate warrior. I didn't target living experiments first, they were too risky to keep, they might squeal. So I took several dead ones to experiment on. They were extemely benificial." Zri held a cocky expression during the talk. "Intergalactic ploy for Universal domination, some one's already written that one." 626 sneered. Zri gave a cold look. "Jumba was right, you are a nussience." 626 grunted, not effected by the remark. "What's going to happen now?" 626 inquired. "You will be brain-washed and re-programmed, then turned over to the 'Agency'." "And what of 327? Jumba? 625?" "I will dispose them as I see fit." He wanted to stall Zri as long as he could, "The things? what are they?" A confuzed expression crossed Zri' face, "Oh, the Hykry, the four experiments. They are a mutated form of the originals. I snuck in via the sky light above the bathroom the first night, I did it again the next, next night I took 625. I used his blood to fuel the dead experiments. I have created a syrum that allows dead tissue to regenerate. I put it in 625's blood then into the Hykry, I then inserted a microchip on the cerebrum, to controll the movement. They were under my command. I used them as a decoy, while you were chasing them Jumba and 327 slipped some of the other experiments to me. I also assume you want to know everything else?." 626 nodded, "Why not, I appears I'm going to die anyway."  
  
"After I tranquilized 327, I looked for you, but you were gone. Jumba had taken you with him to Chenadiss. I was running out of time and options, I made several scewups, like the handle in the freezer. In despiration I though of another plan. I implanted a mind dissrupter chip into 327. I used her to implant one in Jumba too. They seemed like the most benificial, after all, you told them everything you intended to do. The second attack was a diversion and part of the plan. Jumba acted normal, then he seemed to turn on you, claiming you delerious. To you it seemed like a nightmare, your 'father' turning on you. I know how you think, it all sounded logical and reasonable, but something else told you it was otherwise. After Jumba was under my controll I used him to sedate you, he then brought you overhere, where you are now."  
  
626 still had many questions, "What about the bodies? How did they dissappear? That would take a sheer act on genious" Zri grinned, "Ah, it was,two things played a major roll in the act. One, they were controlled by a micro computer, They didn't need to think, I used the computer as their brains. They could still be controlled, even with one thousand rounds in them. Two, I pumped Jumba's lab with a microbe-halluciegenic fog. I could manipulate the microbes to turn into everything and be anything." 626 was left speechless. He couldn't believe the alien he'd gotten to befriend was doing this. He'd used 327, that was low. Hatred grew inside him, it filled his eyes, his heart burned for revenge. Any one who pissed 626 off tended to dissappear. He tried again to escape, pulling at the metal bonds that held him, he snarled.  
  
Zri laughed. "You can't escape you fool. Those bonds are made from an undestructable metalic alloy. Even you cannot get out. Have fun." he said coldly. Zri hit a button on the small keypad and walked away.  
  
He felt defeat as Zri closed the window. There was nothing he could do. Nothing. Jumba and 327 would die, he would be brainwashed and turned into a babbling minion of some God-awful beast. Some thing still loomed in the back of his mind, he fought to get to it. There was a way out. He could feel it. He treid to get out again. He twisted his body as much as the restraints would allow him. They only got tighter, sweat rolled down his fore head. He stopped, it was useless. He was thinking. His short life wasn't that great. He didn't want to have a short life. He was getting frustrated as something bumped against his knee for the tenth time. He froze. There was something peculiar about that lump.  
  
That lump at his knee was something, a blaster. They hadn't searched him that well, or maybe not at all. He tried to get it out and into his paw. He kicked furiously, he felt his foot come out of the metal restraint. Next all he had to do was get the pocket up to his paw. He moved his leg up, he felt the fabric, he grabbed. He bunched up the material and slowly got to the pocket, he reached inside. Ha! salvation! his next concern was how to position it so he could shoot the cuffs holding his paws to the table. He held it backwards, toward the metal. The shot bounced off. Damn. It was blaster proof, a synthetic alloy, like Zri said. But it wasn't immune to explosions, especially anti-matter explosions. He found the mode button and swithced it to, 'charge -up' He pulled the trigger, the gun slowly whinned, it became louder.  
  
The yellow blaster shook arround in 626's small paws. It whined in overload. As long as he held the trigger it would charge, he felt it heat up. It then started to turn red hot and lit a small area in the pitchblack room. "Only a few more seconds." he mumbled. A spark, the holding chamber for the anti matter only had a few more seconds. Those few seconds seemed like eternity, the blaster scorched his paw, smoke came from it.  
  
It approached the limit of the heat resistance. It turned into a pile of molten metal. It ate into the core and hissed. A huge explosion rocked the whole lab. 626 screamed, the metal scorched his paw, the pain was unbearable.  
  
Smoke, the room was full of it. He coughed, he felt something sprinkle on his head, water. The cell had been equipped with a sprinkler system. He shuddered as the water fell on his head. The plan worked, he was now laying on the floor, dazed and disoriented. He felt the coolness of the water on him, an emergency light came on. It bathed the area in an orange glow. He tore off the remains of his combat suit and threw them aside. He examined his paw, there was a huge burn, it hissed when he put it in the water. It was bad, he needed to cover it, but his suit was gone. The only alternative was to retract his second set of arms. He winced as the muscle pulled the fore arm bones along the groove and into his side. It felt wierd for a second, having only two arms.  
  
He surveyed the room, pieces of the table where he layed were covering the floor. The steel walls were all but untouched. The water didn't stop comming. He looked up, it wasn't a sprinkler, the explosion butsted a water pipe. He was dead now, the water would rise up and drown him.  
  
626 stood in waist deep water, it still came in through the pipe. He remembered something, it couldn't come in unless the air had a place to go. And that meant a way out. He searched the cell at floor level. There was nothing. The water had reached his neck now. He climbed on the wall and searched the ceiling, nothing except the pipe and the orange light. If he was below, the water would be well above his head. He tried to stop the water, but only succeded in making the hole bigger. The small room was half filled. He held onto the roof, upside down. He knew he would die in a watery grave, unless.  
  
He stood on the small sill of the window. The horrible liquid was up to his legs. The window was cracked, the sliding shutter was blocking the way out. He removed the broken window and surveyed the steel. It was at least one inch thick, a small feat. He punched it as hard as he could. He did dent it, just not enough to do any good. He waded through the water, it was now comming closer to blocking the only way out. He moved to an edge and punched there. It let in a little light from the outside. The water seeped out the crack. He hit it again, and again. There was a good sized hole now, the water flowed out, but it wasn't enough to stop the level from rising. In desperation he pounded on the steel, it slowy moved out. He stopped, exaustion set in. The water was on his shoulders, in one last attempt he swung, the steel moved five inches, the water stopped rising and fell. He leaned against the shade to see out. It fell off.  
  
He landed on the floor with a crash, the water followed. He got up and shook off. The long white hallway was linned with windows, just like the one he fell out of. He saw keypads besides them. He hadn't the time to save anyone else now, he had to find Jumba and 327 before Zri killed them.  
  
Weapon. His instincts told him to find one. He ran down the hall. He noticed besides each steel shutter was a number, three numbers. He passed 625, Then ther was one, X. 'They got him too.' he thought. He swore to find a weapon and return to free them. The hallway ended abruptly.  
  
He now stood in a huge lab, the hallway was just a small extenuation of the gargantuan room. Ten huge tubes ran from the floor to the roof, in two of them were the 'demon dogs' still growing. There were five tables, all covered with blood. linning every inch of the wall were shelves full of containers that held different colored liquids, flamable was marked on almost every one. There was two doors, one was a steel door, the other was a plain brown door. He hoped that 327 and Jumba where somewhere behind the steel door. He prioritized his list of 'to do' things. Find a weapon, free the experiments, get Jumba and 327, kill Zri, find the mind implants controll, do something about the neatness of the lab where he stood.  
  
Weapon, he scanned the room for one. He spotted a rack in the corner, he got closer. Swords, there were only swords on it. "Beggars can't be choosers." He picked up two of them and ran back to the hallway.  
  
He opened all the doors to the windows. He pounded on the keypads untill the restraints came undone, he then broke all the windows. 625 didn't look that good, he jumped inside and hauled him out. He groaned, weak from the loss of blood. X was already out, he didn't say anything, he stared at 626. "Do something! Get outta here!" he yelled to him. 625 regained concoiusness. "I'm hungry," he groaned. 626 dumped him on the floor, "625, listen, I'm going to find Jumba and 327, you destroy anything you see and get out of here, X willl lead you." "Me?" X said, surprized. "Yes, GO!" he yelled. Both of them ran off, 625 limped. 626 listened as X mumbled something,"That smell,"  
  
The smell, it was there, he was getting tired of those dogs. It turned to the lab, the ones in the tubes were gone. He looked for signs of them, nothing. He began to think that Zri's lab was filled with the microbe fog too. He heard the same wheezing as every encounter with the things. He turned arround, the two stood there, on their hind legs. Something was different, the legs were thicker and looked more sturdy, they also looked more muscular. He heard a crackling from above, "Ah, 626, took you long enough," Zri's voice said. "While you were sleeping last night I modified my creations. You could put down you weapons and go quietly, or my hounds will kill you. Make a wise descision." It crackled off. 626 thought, he glanced at the hounds, they stood stock still. "Hmmmm......," he thought out loud "Go with the ugly freaks, or kill them and leave." The demon dogs pulled swords from their backs. They understood what 626 said. More intelligent from the ones last night. He rushed them, hoping to get the advantage.  
  
He'd never fought with swords before, and he now knew why Zri only taought him how to use spears. The dogs were fast the both aimed for his head and slashed. He blocked with the swords he had. They came in again, this time swiping horizontally. He brought his vertically, they deflected the incoming blow. His turn. He was smaller and faster than the ogres. He swung viciosly at the hairy feet, they blocked every swipe he threw. 'The're good.' One brought the sword down , trying to cut 626 in half. He made an X above him. The clank told him it worked. He saw this one comming, as soon as the goon's hit didn't succede he thrust his sword at 626. He moved too fast, 626 leaned and chopped the arm off, the sword went too. The thing tried to pick it up with the other hand, 626 lobbed that one off too. The thing growled, 626 replied by cutting at his legs.  
  
While the one he attacked was disabled a low growl told him he had one more advicary. The other beast was more skilled that the limbless one. Swords clanked and sparks flew as the tall beast mercilessly attacked 626. He survived only by his speed, the beast had immence power. The dog tended to use a left, right, up, up, down, left attack pattern.626 was blocking and weaving throught the fury of blows. He looked of a hole in his opponents defence. He saw one. His left sword pinned the beasts sword down, he thrust with his right. Into the demon's stomach went the saber, 626 twisted it, the hairy thing didn't grunt. 626 remembered what Zri told him, cerebrum. He removed the sword from the stomach and spinned arround. The sharp blade penetrated the neck and cleaved the head from the body.  
  
Without the chip, the beast fell over, dead as it once was. 626 grip tightened on the handle. He walked over to the limbless beast. He saw the thing trying to get somewhere, it's bloody stumps were waving in the air. 626 felt no sorrow, even if it was an experiment. He brought both swords down on it's head, it rolled away from the body. "Two down." he mumbled as he ran off to find the mind chip controll.  
  
Zri pounded the console, breaking it. He swore. He stood up and went to the door controlls and flipped them all off. The room holding the other 'demon dogs' was slowly opened, they bolted out and into his lab. Zri unhooked the keyboard from the computer and smashed it across his skinny knee. He went to the docking bay, his ship awaited. He had one thing that was important. '626 will be angry.' he thought.  
  
A rumbling sound made him look up through the skylight, he saw a huge ship hovering over the lab, Zri was escaping. He picked up his pace, he still was looking for a weapon. He rounded a hallway and came face to face with another beast. He stood in the hallway and readied his swords. The dog wasn't one one of the advanced ones, it came straight on. 626 prepared the swords, he brung them over his head.  
  
The thing was more stupid than he thought, it stopped. 626 brought the swords down, chopping the head in half. He didn't stop. An upward motion brought the beast to it's knees, they were gone. 626 slashed to the side, again. It still moved. He hacked away untill he was sure he got the chip. The thing didn't move. He ran toward the room where the thought Jumba and 327 were. He entered the lab where he'd killed the beasts, to his relief they were still there. He ran to the door and opened it with the keypad. Inside was a small cell, about twice the size of his, Jumba sat on a bed, he jumped up as soon as 626 walked through. He didn't care, he was looking for 327. He ran arround the small cell. She wasn't in there. "Where is she?" he yelled at Jumba. "He took her away." Concern crossed 626 face, "Who?" he exploded. "Zri." Jumba replied flatly.  
  
Jumba couldn't tell what 626 was up to, last thing he remembered was walking down the hall, then he was here, Zri took 327 away, and he was powerless to stop him. 626 growled in anger, he took off. Jumba followed.  
  
He saw a sign, it said 'controll' he ran to where the arrow pionted. He hoped Zri hadn't left orbit, if he did 327 was lost. He entered the room, the main computer was inoperable. He swore and jumped onto another one. His mind raced, he though faster than everbefore. He hoped he could hack into the main controlls from there. In thirty seconds he was in, he looked for the controll for the teleporters. They were still operable. Zri was still in orbit, good. He turned the teleporters on and linked up with Zri's ship. He opened a channel and hacked into the ships computers. He jammed them, the ship would remain in orbit forever, or untill 626 blew it up. "Jumba, find 625 and X and get out of here, this place is going to be blown sky high." 626 told him. Jumba didn't argue, he just ran.  
  
He picked up the odd pistol from the floor of the controll room and raced to the teleporters in the comm room. He was just about to enter the comms room when he smelled the smell of the dog things. He turned arround and saw the thing, it was down the hall. By it was a dolly full of canisters. Butane was written on them in yellow paint. He looked at the pistol. It was a GyroJet, Earth. It fired small rockets that blew up on contact. He aimed at the thing, it hadn't noticed him yet. The pistol whoosed. A small objcet flew down the hall. It clinked off the butane canisters.  
  
A huge explosion blew the thing all over the wall. A huge crater was all that was left of the butane canisters. Flames licked the walls, starting a fire. 626 didn't get to see his victory, he had jumped onto the teleporter.  
  
*  
  
He found himself in a dark closet, he pushed the door open. He hear Zri cursing, aparrently he had found the drive systems inoperable. 626 snickered. His firts priority was to find 327. He searched the ship. Passing leather seats, a small kitchen, and into the cargo hold. He spotted the pink alien, she was inside a cage. 327 lay still, aparently drugged. He though of what Zri intended to do with her, make more things or worse. He lifted he body up in his arms, she stirred. "626?" she said in confusion. "Quiet." he whispered. "What? where am I?" "Ssshhhhhhh." 626 hissed. She stood up and tested her stability. She was unbalanced from the effects of the tranq. "Wait here." 626 said, running off.  
  
626 slowly approached the cock pit. He snuck up slowly, he looked up.He saw a mirror, and Zri's face. Zri saw him. He gave a venomuos look and grabbed a pistol from a compartment and turned to 626. He started firing, 626 jumped aside. "You can't stay dead, can you?" Zri hissed. "You first." 626 shot back. He climbed on the wall and scrambled as Zri fired shots, He found time to look behind him and yell insults. He hopped to the floor and rolled. Zri put three rounds where 626 landed.  
  
A rumble came from deep within the ship. An explosion blew out the bottom hull and comprimised the orbit. They slowly listed into the Turian atmosphere. Zri and 626 rushed up to the cockpit to see what they could do. Zri slammed 626 into the wall as they raced to gain controll of the ship. 626 lunged at Zri exposed feet. Zri yelled in pain, he tried to shake 626 off. He held on fast, nothing could make him let go.  
  
He let go of his feet and rushed up to the cock pit. He stared out the window. Turo grew in the view port. The ship hurled itself to the palnet. "Escape pod!" screamed Zri, he limped away. 626 took off from the cockpit and caught up to him. Zri reached it first he jumped inside, 626 thought he'd lost. Suddenly Zri was tossed from the pod and into the room. 626 looked inside, he saw 327 she was smiling, "It was the least I could do." she blushed. 626 leapt inside and pushed 'close' on the hatch controlls. The door slid down, a window sat in the center. Zri pounded on the glass, screaming. 626 gave him a cold look, he had no remorse, no regrets. He pushed 'eject' Zri's expression turned to horror, his eye were huge. The escape pod jettisoned out into the atmosphere.  
  
The ship broke up in the atmoshpere and turned into a ball of flaming metal. The escape pod shot down too, it had heat resistant blocks covering it though. The paracute deployed and it floated down on the air currents. 626 did as best he could to steer it into the lab. A small section was flaming. The pod got caught in the current and was carried into the flaming mass of a lab.  
  
The impact blew the pod apart, pieces of shrapnel flew in all dirrections. No one could have survived that. The flames engulfed the parachutes, the smoke it made was carried high into the atmosphere. The seats were overturned in the lab, a part that was not burning yet. 626 and 327 huddled under the seat. 626 sensed the pod landed, he was a bit shaken by the impact. He pushed the seat away, 327 was a bit stirred too. He slowly led the way to the main hall. He got to the door and pushed the keypad. Nothing happened. He heard it, there it was, the wheezing, he didn't smell anything because of the smoke. He lifted up the door a few inches, then a few more. "Go" he shouted to 327. "No, I won't leave you." "GO!," he yelled. "I'll catch up later ,GO!" She didn't argue, she slipped out the small crack. 626 dropped the door. He had other matters to settle. He turned arround.  
  
The beast walked throught the flaming walls and caught fire. It truely looked like a demon now, the yellow eyes seemed to dissappear in the flames than had engulfed it. 626 stood there, waiting for it to make the first move. It came running fast. Both of the creatures in the hall had a hatred for each other, they both wanted to kill eachother. This hatred seemed to fuel the flames, the increased in intensity, burning brighter. The heat was unbearable, both absorbed it. 626 clenched his paws into a ball and raised them like he was at bat. The thing got closer, closer. Three feet. 626 swung in an uppercut, his balled paws hit the beast in the jaw sendind it upward, blood sprayed onto him. The beat landed and didn't move, 626 didn't take chances. He grabbed the flaming mass and threw it further into the fire. It flew down the hall and hit a dolly full of butane canisters. They broke open from the impact and exploded. A large piece of permacrete flew down the hall. Straight for 626.  
  
He saw the huge missle comming, time slowed down. He bent backwards and pushed back. The huge rock grazed his chest and flew into the door, it went through to the other side. Time returned to normal. The hole created fed the fire, it started growing. 626 jumped out the hole, the fire trailed out behind him. He landed in the octaganal room and ran to Jumab's lab door, 327 opened it.  
  
He leapt the final few feet and landed in 327 arms. They huged each other, they embraced with love and a finality that it was all over. Tears rolled down 327's face "Oh, 626, that was horrible." She sobbed. "Yes, it was." she started to cry.  
  
* * *  
  
Four hours later 626 and 327 watched as the fire rescue teams put out the blaze. This was the first lab fire in the history of Turo. 625 and X had made it out after Jumba found them cowering in a room. "It's amazing, your dreams can burn up in an instant." 626 marveled. "Jus tlike Zri's." 327 snuggled closer. They had dinner in the grass and watched the embers glow in the sunset. The heat traveling up from the fire obscured the sunset making it look wavy.  
  
626 told 327 he'd be back in a minute. He pushed her inside the door to Jumba's lab. He turned to the burnt out door that was Zri's lab. Yellow lines crossed it, condeming the place. He stepped inside and went straight for where the lab had been. The embers were still hot under his feet. A question still burned strong, one that might go un-answered. He approached the spot where he'd put the two bodies that he'd decapitated. He put them here for a reason. He now sifted through the ashes, he used the burnt out wall and hole in the floor to pinpiont the location. He heaved the huge piece of wall that had fallen down over the spot. He saw the empty space underneath, a pool of dried blood was there, as well as some of the fragments of the spinal cord where he chopped. The two bodies he'd put there were gone. 


	10. Winding Down

Winding Down.....Only to pick up again.  
  
"Inevitibly, instabilities begin to appear." - Ian Malcolm. Instabilitiy, the thing chaos thrives off.  
  
Chaos could have been his middle name, if he had a name. He had been unruly the last time he'd cut down anything in his way, and according to the Chaos factor things would almost never repeat, they indefinately got worse. This was the case in 626's favor. When he was on Chenadiss he felt he had destroyed needlessly, and that was true. But what had happened was different, he killed because he had to, he killed because he had to survive. The things and Zri were different, they were lifeless, power hungry pigs, and that is why they were dead.  
  
Jumba heard the whole story from 626. He found the answers filling and just, but from his own conclusions they seemed to fit. He removed the implant from 327 and himself.  
  
He was contemplating his actions. Thinking, about what he'd done, and what he still had to do. He also thought about it from a military view, what went wrong, what he could have done better. He had no remorse for Zri, no empty feeling, no emotions toward him. Zri was dead now, gone, he was no longer his troubles. Althoug he could not see into the future he had a gut instinct that he would soon be swept up into another ordeal with the 'Agency' as Zri qouted. He knew they would send a someone to pick up on the trail where Zri had left off. He got tired of sitting and doing nothing, he had some work to do. He got up from his bed and went into the controll room.  
  
The chair was hard on his bruised bottom, the impact from the escape pod had given him a huge bruise. He fought the pain and went into the mainstream. He first went to a search engine and look for the 'Agency'. There was no listing. He hacked into the engine's main frame and searched from there, still nothing. He was surprized, the way Zri pronounced it, it sounded like a huge corporation. Yet there was nothing, so far they were a phantom scociety, and he wanted answers. He dicided the best way to find them was to pick the mainstream apart by hand, and that would take a long time.  
  
Five hours, five hour and nothing. He removed himself from the chair, and rubbed his bleary eyes. He though the 'Agency' was an unexistant orginization, or they were well covered. He needed answers, if they would try again or not. He walked down the hall to Jumba's testing lab. He was inside, hunched over a microscope, looking at something. He cautiosly approached. "This is amazing!" Jumba exclaimed. "Hmmmm..." 626 said, startling him. "The syrum that Zri made is ingenous, it renews the dead tissue. Then when the computer chip is installed the micro-organisms respon to certain electrical impulses, which the computer sends out. The microchip acts like the brain, they both send out pulses to make certain muscles respond. He knew alot, almost too much." Jumba complimented. 626 gave an innocent look, "And that's what made the things move?" "Yes." Jumba resumed his work. "I have a question." 626 said. "Shoot." Jumba answered while writing down several things on a notepad. "The 'Agency', what is it?" Jumba gave a suspicious look,"Where did you hear that?" "Zri." 626 replied. Jumba grunted.  
  
"Well, 626, it looks like you've been swept up in this too." Jumba sighed. 626 offered a 'what the heck' look. Jumba sighed again, "The 'Agency' is a secret corporation thet invests in tecnonlocical advancements, preferably one with military benifit. They built this complex for research and developement of super soldier assets. I recieved a letter of special interests from them after I made a huge discovery in the alterations of molecular physics. I was foolish enough to sign on. Soon after I moved here, and they demanded that I come up with an invincilbe life form. They didn't care how long it took or how much it cost, they wanted it. I did so for several years, then they came to take an experiment for assesment, as soon as they did I told them I wouldn't work for them, unless they respected that the experiments were living breathing things that have their own lives, they wouldn't agree. So they cut my funding and left me alone. I had 327 hack into the Galactic Bank of Funds for Science or GBFS. She tranfered several million credits to my account. I continued my experiments. And thus you, they used Zri to get to me and then to try and get you. They failed, and they do not give up easily, they will be back. To try again, they will try untill they succede." Jumba sighed again. 626 thought, "There must be something we can do." Jumba had a look of despair, "No there is nothing, nothing. They will get you, my ultimate warrior." His face lit up, "Ulitamate warrior! 626 you are a genious!" Jumba hurried to finish up his experiment. 626 watched, "There must be a front for the corporation, do they do anything on the side?" Jumba took a few second to reply, "That 626, is a mystery, the special agents who have successfully infiltrated dissappeared. Now, if I know them as well as I think I do they have already organized a special ops force and have already planned an attack." Jumba shut down the computer and left for the controll room, 626 in close pursuit.  
  
Jumba activated all the security systems, the door locks, the motion sensors, and the electronic disruptor. The only chance they would have was their weapons, and with 626 running arround they were better off dead."Best bet they will come at night," 626 said from across the room. "They'll think they have the advantage and they'll use it." Jumba continued for him. "All we have to do is repell them." Jumba said smugly while looking at 626. "No, not really,". Jumba gave a confused look. "They will also be after any data that you had acumulated, any test chemicals and any other thing they can get their hands on." Jumba hadn't thought of that, he had an amazed expression."Anything else while you're at it?" "Yes, actually. The ops forces will try and take live prisoners, or any experiments for questioning and testing." Jumba was now speachless, "How do you know all this?" 626 gave a wry smile, "Books, and it's also standard procedures for all raids and military operations."  
  
"626, from where I sit it sounds like this will not be easy." Jumba moaned. "Nothing ever is." said 626 philosophically. "After this," Jumba started "Someone will be getting suspicious, this would be the second mishap in the lab complex. I'd hate to have to pack everything up and go, but that's the way it might be. The dealer leaves us with all the low cards, we have to lay low untill we get a good hand, or straight out fold." he sighed.  
  
* **  
  
The tall thin alien stared at the mirror, he saw himself. He was young, 20 Earth years of age. He had a long head, like Zri's, in fact he was of the same species of him. No one would have suspected him to be the head of the 'Agency' as the outside world called it. The real name of the corp. was Galactic Federation of Illegal Arms, or GFIA (They also dealt with all illegal goods). He was learning the roots for for being a part of the Galactic Federation's Council, (not GFIA) from his aunt, Alkeldia Oniedia (Grand Council Woman from Lilo and Stitch). No one went to school, they learned first hand, as an apprentice. This was all in the plan.  
  
He would wait untill a question in the decisive powers of the all powerful Federation would arise, then take controll for a little while, make the system seem stable, then crash it down. He had ordered an army of soldiers for the invasion of Turo, he had several scientist working to find the ultimate soldier. A contact named Zri believed he'd found it. The genetic Doctor, Dr. Jumba Jookiba is said to have the ulimate warrior, somewhere deep in his lab. Dr. Jumba was a previos employee for the GFIA, he'd had a moral revelation and resigned. But somehow he had continued with his experiments, he had funding from somewhere, that meant competition, competition meant people would die, even if thet meant Dr. Jumba.  
  
Darfinis Maurader was the alien standing in his room, waiting for the daily relay of information from the GFIA. He sat in the chair in the corner, facing the door. He was thinking about something, he had several loyal scientists in the Labs known as SCOTA, Scientists Center of Technological Advancements. There were eight seperate labs in all, counting Jumba's. He hoped Zri would come through. The door was knocked on. "Come in." he said. A short black alien wearing formal attire walked in, a small envelope under his stocky arm. Darfinis stood up, "The news, I presume." "Yes Sir." the alien replied. He handed the envelope to him and left the room. Darfinis sat down in the chair and opened the envelope. He immediately saw the bold red lettering, 'Immediate Meeting of the Generals.', that was not good, last time this happened their Secret Lab under the warehouses on Chenadiss was blown sky high. The loss of the warehouses set them back as far as eight years, eight years. He continued to read. The text explained the destruction of Zri's lab and his presumed death, now they had no connection to Jumba, they would have to send a strike team in. Another nock on the door, he fumbled with the papers. Thinking of the quickest excuse, "I'm not dressed, don't come in." he said flatly. "Darfinis?" it was his aunt. "Yes." he replied. "You do remember that the Council is holding an audit this evening." she said from the other side of the door, he voice was muffled. "Yes auntie." he said childly. "And I expect you won't be late this time." "I'll be there on time." he said, a tone of aggrevation in his voice. "I'll see you at eight." Alkeldia said, as she walked down the hall. He retrieved the ruffled papers from the chair and continued reading.  
  
* * * Secret Base under the surface of Turo: 2500 hours  
  
In a small room deep from the Turian surface lay a huge Military base. Not the Turo Planetary gaurd or the Army's top secret 'area 51', this was a base filled with evil and greed. Men who wuled th galaxy based on how many Council members they had in thier pocket and teh polutaion that supported them due to drug trafficking. Behind the steel doors that blocked the exit, behind the electronic surveilence, through all the miles of winding halls, far from the medical bay, lay a meeting room.  
  
Inside the long rectangular room filled with file cabnets and old tattered papers was a table. The room was lit in a dull light, like a shady corner of a bar. It would seem right if the room had a haze arround the six occupant inside, like the smoke from many cigars. They looked at eachother for a minute. The dead silence in the air was eerie, no noise from anywhere.  
  
The silence was broke, "Let's make this quick, gentlemen," Darfinis spoke up "If I'm gone for too long, they will thing I'm dead or another faximily there of. It's not easy to slip from the ever watchful eyes of the Council." He spoke with a cold tone of ice. A short stocky alien stood up. He was a light blue with a small round head that lead straight into his chest, his species had almost no neck. A general's hat decorated with two medals sat upon his head, his chest was also decorated with ornate medals. He was a retired General of the Turian national gaurd. He graduated from the school for the defence of the galaxy, not exactly WestPoint, but just as good. He'd quickly advanced through the ranks and up to his goal, to be a general.  
  
"Good evening, My name is Skeff Mafx, General and commander of the small, but effective army we have under us. At arround mid-day two days ago our only contact, that provided us info on the successful Dr. Jumba, was killed, his ship burned up in the atmosphere. And his lab was destroyed." he said in a rough voice. Darfinis continued for him, "And Zri was our only man with the capabilities to make an ultimate warrior, besides Dr. Jumba, who's unique dna reformation method he was trying to get at. Dr. Jumba worked for us at one time, then he resigned. It is rumored he has several of these warriors, which he does nothing with, a sad waste for such power. And if we are going to succede with the plans for a one Galactic Government we must take action and retrieve one of these great species." he finished with a sigh.  
  
The other four occupants in the room were the best trained special ops troops, they held skeptical faces. One spoke up, "And if this warrior exists, what are we supposed to do? Let it take potshots at us?, if it is invincible like you say there is no way to capture it." he huffed. General Skeff sighed, "Your armnaments will include stun nerve agents and several non lethal tranqulizers, along with your standard gear." The Ops whispered back an forth. "What arms will this thing have?" They asked simultaneously. "Your weapons will be superior." the General said smugly. "Any kind of sentry weapons in this lab?" "No, just cameras, which is why the controll room is the first area you must secure." "Does the Doctor have a private army?" General Skeff's expression of triumph dissappeared, "He needs not any army, he has the Ultimate soldier." "And what will we be getting?" "At least a blood sample of the thing, better if you bring in a live prisoner, or deceaced body." "When do we commence the assault?" "Tomorrow night." the General smiled.  
  
* * *  
  
Nothing had happened that night. While he was waiting he floated in and out of sleep, the only though in his mind was not of the assault team that never came it was of the 'Demon Dogs'. The bodies were gone, that meant they were still out there. He though of what could have happened. Maybe the sryrum revived the brain and they ran off into the forest outside the rear of the lab. He hoped they got caught in a trash compactor somewhere.  
  
626 felt the fatigue set in, he tried to stay awake. His eye lids felt like lead weights, he could barely move his arms they were so heavy. His head nodded from lack of sleep, he woke himself. Then slowly slipped off into sleep.  
  
A flat plain passed by under him, he couldn't smell the ever present grass, he was dreaming. Then suddenly he stopped. A huge building rose up infront of him, it looked like two buildings, one on top of the other. The architecture looked like something from a Gothic Catherdral, the gargoyels seemed to stare into eternity, the grim scowls on their faces was spooky. The windows were dark and looke like a void, deep and unending. The gray stone absorbed the light from everywhere. A tower sat on the top, a radio tower. The arches were decorated with the vine like archetecture, they seemed to reach off the building and take hold onto the other structures arround it. The building errupted into flames, fire shot out of all the orifices on the towering inferno. It smoldered into a pile of black dust and blew away in the wind.  
  
He was violently awakened when he was stepped on. All the air was thrust from his lungs and the weight continued to pile on. He felt like he was in a compactor. He couldn't breath the only sound he managed to make was a squeak, it sounded more like a yip though. The weight was all thrown off him and he breathed heavily, the air felt good going into his deprived lungs. He opened his eyes and looked into two more eyes that he was used to seeing. "Sorry about that, 626." Jumba grumbled, "Didn't see you down there." 626 could tell when Jumba was angry, and he was now. He didn't bother to ask, he knew it had something to do with 625. He followed him down the hall and into the kitchen.  
  
Inside the somewhat large kitchen with white walls was 327 and several other experiments that he'd seen once or twice before. All of them seemed to have a haze of gloom over their heads, like a stiff rain. He was the only one in the room that bore an expression of happiness, which bothered him. He slowly adjusted to the mood of the sad room, he didn't know why, he just did. What everyone in the room needed was a good drink, like some vodka to wake them up. He sighed and took his usual seat by 327 and 625. He glanced over at 625. "Hey, it wasn't me." 625 snapped, he knew what 626 was staring for. He grabbed one of the doughnuts on the plater in the center of the small table and started munching. He talked with anyone who wanted to talk, discussing things from making the perfect doughnut to how to properly sight a target with a mortar. A thought grew in his mind as he did. It was that he'd better be ready to repel anthing they threw at him. And that they would probably come tonight, he had a gut feeling of this. He talked for several more minutes and then excused himself.  
  
Several hours later he took a look at the scematics of the entire lab. He was looking for easy entrance points, skylights and windows were on first priority. The only skylights were in the bathroom, they looked pretty big from the blueprints, big enough to get into at least. There were no windows in any part of the lab at all, so other that the skylight and the front door, there was no was inside. At least for anything over two meters.  
  
He was foucusing more on the bathroom that the front door, but if he knew his adviscaries they would have another route inside. He went through Jumba's small armory again, he opened more crates, and found more Earth weapons. Among the straw and wood he found three Claymore mines, two Mk2 Hand-grenades, and a red light flare. The Claymores were either trip or remote detonation. They were deadly mines, exploding outward in the chosen dirrection, they spewed out tiny pieces of shrapnel. If you stood within the three meter sure killzone, your skin would be ripped off by the tiny shrapnel chunks, then burned. The Mk2 grenades were British made in WWII, they were packed with five ounces of C-4 explosives and had a fairly large kill radius, inapropriate for the lab. They would destroy everthing in the room in which they were thrown. The flare was, a flare that had a red light instead of white.  
  
He layed the Claymore facing up to the skylight, so the entering troops would be killed. He decided that remote detonation would be best, soes that no experiment would trip the wire and get hurt. Other than throwing the grenades like a ball, he saw no reason to detonate them. He put them on a crate that was in his room, for later. He thought about putting everybody in the safe room, but then if they got through there was nothing he could do, and they would certainly be captured. He thought they were best uninvolved.  
  
With three more hours till dark he had nothing else to do. He went into the small room that was the library. 327, ironically, was inside. She was sitting on a couch in the corner. He sat down besides her and glanced at the book she was reading. She looked over at him and noticed an air of uncertainty hung over him. "Are you nervous?" she asked. "Hmmm, me?, no not really, I don't think so." he mumbled. She knew there was something up with him, something he wasn't telling her. She moved closer, hoping to make him relax and fell safe. He did the same. As he got closer she felt a coldness upon him, like the icy hand of death had touched him. "626 there is some thing wrong, your as cold as ice and your shivering. Tell me what's the matter." He realized she was right, "I don't know, I just don't know." he hunched over and shivered. "You're sick, is that it? do you feel ok?" "No I'm not sick, I just fell empty, like there is a hole inside or something. There is something I'm missing, something more that what I already have. The more I think about it the worse I feel." he shivered again. This was new to 327, she had always felt content and happy, no matter what. She'd never felt that hole 626 was talking about, she didn't doubt it existed though. "626 let me take you to your room for a rest, sleep could do you good." He grunted in protest but eventually gave in.  
  
* * *  
  
"Now listen up you incompetent sons of a nryark, this is how we will do this!" General Skeff shouted. All millitary officers in any service used vile language and insults on the troops, just to intimidate them. There were sixteen troops in front of him, the best Special Ops. All were arranged in lines of four by four, standing at attention. They were all of the same species, the Grifdyke.  
  
The Grifdyke were credited for being the most staminated and Militarily advanced. They stood arround one and a third meter. They had blue scaly skin, and thick stocky arms that ended with six fingers. The faces were almost flat, with a rounded appearence. Their eyes were black and set in. The nose was only two holes in the face, almost flush to it. They had a history of violence. They were enslaved several times in their history, and violently, with the cost of millions of lives, broke free. They soon developed unique fighting tactics, brutal as they seemed it worked for them. This is why they were chosen for the assault.  
  
General Skeff's voice was the only sound in the war room. "Team one will be backup for any team that need help. Team two will enter throught the skylight and secure the controll room. Team three will use the holer and get in throught the south wall, they then will clear all the rooms in sector 1, and rodevouis with team four. Team four will come in through the front door and take care of sector two and then meet up with team three. There will ba a transport ship with the comms personell inside. You will have weapons that are set to stun, do not hesitate to stun anything in your way. After the main assault, all teams are to search all the rooms thouroughly. After that We'll send in a containmet squad to get the stunned occupants. Is this clear gentlemen?" "Yes sir!" all sixtenn roared. "You have four hours," Skeff said, "Get ready." All the Ops soldiers shuffled out.  
  
The assult was soon going to begin. 


	11. When One isn't Enough

When One isn't Enough  
  
The sixth sense. Some say it doesn't exist, that it is made up and childish. Others believe strongly in it, they claim it's gut instinct. What exactly is the sixth sense? It might be the feeling you get when your being watched. Look arround you now, are YOU being watched? Or maybe it's the hairs on the backs of your neck that raise when you KNOW there is something behind you. Something you don't really want to turn arround to see. Maybe it's all of your five senses working all together. Maybe, we will never know.  
  
The quiet city, full of lights and other species of alien passed under them. The black craft seemed to slice through the air and effortlessly float to the destination. The only sound was of the rear engines humming and the occasional clank of the weapons on the cold metal walls of the flying Ops transport. All sixteen were quiet, none spoke. A solomn look plastered onto the blue faces. They all knew what had to be done, no questions asked. The transport would also serve as the comms station and look out while the Ops went in.  
  
The black ship set down outside the lab in the lawn to the right. It waited for a minute before the rear doors opened and let the troopers out. Silently the four teams of four went to their places and awaited for the go command.  
  
Team three carried four long poles and a black briefcase sized computer. The four poles were part of a machine called the 'Holer'. They inserted the rods, which were made of a special metal that is capable of going through the thickest of objects, into the wall in which you wanted to enter. Then the computer activated the rods and the material in between the four rods could be pulled out, making an effective doorway. They each put one of the four poles into the wall, made sure they were perfetly square, "Team three is in place." the leader said to the comms.  
  
Team two swiftly moved in the darkness. They rounded the corner to the rear of the lab. They then found the ladder in which they were supposed to go up and ascended it. The gravel on the roof crunched under their feet as they approached the sky light. The four positioned themselves arround the the glass enrty point. Thet all looked for any signs of hostility or anything in the room below. Nothing. "Comms, this is team two. In position."  
  
Team four made their way up the dark hallway of the main entrance. The only sound was the uniform's material scrapping against itself. They silently approached the octaginal room. The sweep was complete, nothing. All according to plan. The rear was packing a hacker computer, he approached the door by the burnt out lab. The two moons let some light into the eight- sided room. The click of keys, as the computer specialist hacked into the door controlls. After a few seconds there was a beep. "Were in." the specialist whispered. "Team four ready." the leader spoke into his head set.  
  
In the comms room onboard the ship three techs monitored the communications. "We are go." said one. "Commance assult." General Skeff said from the back of the room. "Team two, go! Team three, go! Team four, go! Team one, await further orders."  
  
*  
  
He yawned at the bitter coldness of his room. Scratching himself he stood up from his bed. How long was he asleep? an hour? four? He was hungry, and the ammount of time he'd slept didn't matter anymore. He just hoped his life would return to normal, what ever normal was. He pulled on his suit that he'd taken off before going to sleep and checked the weapons besides his bed, just in case. As of the incident with the dogs he carried two blasters arround in his suit. He stepped out into the hall and sniffed the air, like he did all the time. 626 noticed a faint smell, he coulnd't make it out though. He sniffed his uniform, nope. He tried again, maybe it was an experimental fiber Jumba was working on. He heard it, very faintly though. It sounded like the rubbing of fabfric, like when you walk. Besides he and Jumba there was no one else who wore any clothing. A thought passed through his head, one Jumba had said, '626, you were created to destroy.' And now he felt like destroying something.  
  
For safety he climbed up on the wall and to the ceiling ten feet above. The sound got closer. He scanned the area, listening and looking. Something moved in a side hallway, be barely saw it because it moved fast, but from the looks it was arround three meters long, not one of the dogs. Then the sound slowly faded. He moved slowly on the roof, gravity pulled his small weight down. He creept over the wire bundles and the lights, only making small almost inaudible sounds. His stomach growled, he'd not eaten anything in a while. To him it seemed like a gunshot in the silent halls. He then heard them, four. He heard their breathing, arround the next corner. He had a plan formulated in his head already.  
  
*  
  
All was quiet, too quiet. Still the squad pushed on, scanning the hallways and making note of anything suspicious. The NVG's showed the lab in a green color, they hummed in the silence. The leader stopped, waited. "Team four," he whispered "Sound off." He didn't want to lose anybody in the huge labryinth. "Geffs, here." "Srif, here" Silence. "Ives?" the leader asked ,"Ives, report!" The stone dead walls offered no comfort for the lost comrade. "Back trek, I won't loose any Ops man to a cocky scientist." The squad turned arround.  
  
They found nothing in the first few meters. They slowed their approach arround the corner. What was arround the edge surprized all of them. Laying on the floor was the out lines of Ives. The squad leader pulled him up, he was unconscious and his hands were bound behind his back with the tubular hancuffs 626 was looking at the other day. No sign of a key was present. "Comms, four here. Ives is out of commission." the leader leaned over and felt dizzy. "How team four?" the comms asked. The comms men were always prying into the battle events. "He was assaulted from behind, presumably knocked out then handcuffed with some of those new style cuffs, no key is present." he paused. "Permission to send him out of the lab under escort." he stood up again. "Permission granted." The two remaining black figures slipped off into the long hallways. One of the soldiers stayed behind and carried Ives over his shoulder and out of the lab.  
  
*  
  
Team three approached the controll room. They found the door and walked inside, being catious after team four reported the incident. They filed into the room filled with computer monitors and printers. They removed their goggles and turned on the light. The room was filled with artificial glow. The computers were turned on and neatly cleaned. They got closer, one pulled an expensive computer from his back pack. A slight russle. "Team?" the leader spoke softly. "No." the three replied. All gripped their riffles and scanned. The lights turned off.  
  
*  
  
Three minutes passed as team team four approached the doorway to the room. They all stopped, confused. Why weren't the lights on? Maybe they got there first, maybe team three was late, or dead. They pointed the riffles at the door as the leader opened it. Nothing, it was empty. They filed in, removed their goggles and turned on the lights. They put the goggles away into the packs and surveyed the room. Computers, printers and such. They all turned in unison to see the area not visible when they entered the room. The three froze.  
  
Team three was out of commision, all of them lay unconscious on the floor in a row, all of them were cuffed like Ives. Whatever it was didn't make a sound, and moved too fast for them to react, or even say anything. This thing moved fast, and got all four of them, while they were in the same room. Now that took skill. They were all demorilized by what they saw. "Comms, send team one in. And see if you can get team two up here too." "Affirmative" comms said.  
  
*  
  
He'd raided the medical storage and picked up several pairs of hand cuffs. The one in the hall was an accident, he'd swiped at the comms set in his ear and it flew off. Then he got on the ground and hit the legs with the bar. The soldier had fallen, he then planned to smash his chest, but the soldier had begun to get up, instead he hit him on the head, knocking him out then he applied the cuffs. He propped him up against the wall and ran to the controll room. Inside he found four others, he disposed of them too.  
  
Now there were more, three more. As he hung onto the ceiling he decided how to de commision them, then find where they'd come from. 626 pulled out a tranquilizer he found in Jumba's desk and got ready. He aimed for the nearest one. The soldier stopped and stood there, the dart sticking out of his chest. He made no sound, he just stood there. The two living ones turned and saw, they could do nothing as their friend slipped into the black void of sleep.  
  
He pulled the other tranquilizer from the pocket and let go. He fell head first, firing at the remaining soldiers. The same weird thing happened, things got slow. He saw the dart go into thier chests, they were thrown slightly backward from the shots. He fired two more shots for good measure, the soldiers fell to the ground. Things returned to normal time again. He saw the gound. His vision blacked for a second as he hit the floor with a tremendous of speed. He rolled over and faced the tranqs toward the soldiers, you can never be sure. He sat there for a second, the guns pointed to the bodies. Nothing moved.  
  
He'd heard the soldiers say something about two more teams. There'd had been four in each, so that meant sixteen, half were now dead. The tranqs were out of ammunition, he needed another way to rid himself of them. He decided to ge the claymore.  
  
Utilizing the walls and the roof, he made his way to the bathroom, retrieved the claymore and then went back to the controll room. They weren't there yet, good. He held the mine facing the door and kept a finger on the detonator. The soldiers approached so quietly he didn't notice them. They opened the door and rushed inside. He had seconds to react, he hit the detonator.  
  
He was thrown back into the row of monitors by the force of the explosion. He went through a screen and out the other side. He heard groans that told him he had hit his mark. 626's eyes adjusted to the darkness, the explosion had taken out the light. He stood up and went to see his kills. He coughed at the thick smoke that hung in the air, the smell of burnt flesh and grease from the guns. It wa sthen he realized that it wasn't a usual claymore, it was a specially designed stun claymore. The soldiers would be out for another hour, he restrained them anyway. Now that that was done he had to find where thay had come from.  
  
He pulled out a headset from one of the stunned soldiers and stuck it in his ear. He heard the command post's confusion about what that noise was. He ran down the hall to the bathroom, where he could exit by the skylight. While the comotion in the comms room died down he could now hear the insects buzzing. They were outside.  
  
* * *  
  
"Sir." the comms man said, "Sir, they're all decommisioned." "What?!" Skeff shouted while getting up from the seat in the corner and walking to the row of screens. "They are all out cold, sir." He couldn't believe it. They had sent in the best troops with the best weapons, and now they were all incapacitated. "Confirm." he shouted. The med tech looked over at the monitor, "Heart beats are all low, they are indefinately out." he said flatly. What would Darfinis say? He turned away from the monitors and huffed off into the cockpit. He sat down in the pilots chair and stared into the night. "Abort mission. And prepare for take off." he yelled.  
  
* * *  
  
When 626 made it to the top of the bathroom and outside onto the roof he scanned for a ship of anykind. He spotted a black transport cruiser, it was going through it's take off cycle. He ran across the roof and hurled himself off. When in mid air he saw his mistake, the ground was five meters below him. He took the impact as best he could and recovered. The ship was almost ready to lift off.  
  
He ran across the ground on all six appendeages, he covered more terrain faster that way. The ship was hovering when he got to it, ready to jet off any second. He leapt up into the air and grabbed onto the landing pad. The jets pulsed and the cruiser took off with amazing speed. 


	12. Finishing What's Left

Finishing What's Left  
  
~Time served on the Earth doesn't mean we grow in mind~ Creed  
  
Night. It can be as cold as death itself. It can be death. The land is changed from a land of sunny glory to the void of unending terror. Unseen things tend to lurk only a few feet away in the shadows. Things that only appear at night, when no one can see any of them. Voices float in and out from nowhere, and they tend to mess with your head.  
  
The city is a busy place, especially when it's light. The crusiers floating all arround, the engines filling the air with thier noise. The factories wich assemble these crusiers, the robotic machines putting them together. The noise from any other distraction iminent in the hot air. It is like a smog, the dust and grime floating in the air seems to get inside your lungs and asphixiate them.  
  
At night the city is different. The hot arid air is replaced by the cool night weather. The only noise is from the occasional ship leaving and entering the ports. The small creatures in the alleyways knocking over trash cans to get what tiny morsels of food are in there. The soft breezes flowing through the buildings and into the open windows. Sometimes in the ghetto you can hear the crescendo of the blaster rounds from the gang wars. And on rare occasions you can hear the local gang's bombs detonating. This night was a quiet night.  
  
Over the city flew the Ops transport. It cut through the air and sped furiously to the secret bunker where it was at home. It was a sillouhette against the dark sky, the smooth body glistened in the moonlight. The turbines under the two stubby wings and under the cockpit seemed to whine. On the underside of the ship was a hitch-hiker. A four armed, blue one at that.  
  
The cold night air whipped arround him as he watched the city speed by. His ears, antena and barbs moved in the wind. The only thing he could do was hold on, to move would be suicide. He was worried about three things. How would he get back? Would Jumba thing he deserted him? What am I going to do about this base where I'm headed? These thoughts raced in his mind, he had the answer to only one of them. He would destroy the base, and every one inside. He was sure it would be better that way. He yawned, it was late and he needed something ot eat, his stomach growled constantly.  
  
626 noticed as the black cruiser hovered above a tall building, he though it looked like a Gothic Cathedral, with all the gargoyles and the windows that were leafed. The ship paused for a second, for a reason he did not know. There was a flash from the roof, alight or beacon. The black Ops ship blinked a light on the under belly of the plane. 626 thought he would be spotted, he held his breath. The plane hovered off, into the forest outside the city.  
  
He watched the trees below him, the faint smell of pine reached his sensitive nose. He thought the thing on the roof of the building had seen him and now the pilot was going to get rid of him by running the cruiser really low over the tree tops. He was looking for a place to ditch. The hoverer stopped too soon. It floated over a clearing in the forest. He twisted his head arround to see the ground. He was just about ready to drop when the ground moved. A seam appeared in the grass, it widened to reveal a blackness. The transport ship lowered into the hole. He felt the cold change. The cruiser turned on the headlights. He saw a long underground path. The ship lurched as it took off.  
  
He shivered at the coldness of the sub-terrainian passageway. He felt his ears pop. There was a noticeable change in the pressure. The craft continued to fly through the void. He felt this would go on forever. Suddenly the dark hallway gave way to a spaceous hangar with ample light. He blinked at the excessive light. The smell of oil and fuel reached his nose. The ship slipped onto one of many landing pads that wasn't occupied. The landing gear hissed as it deployed. It touched down on the concrete floor of the docking port.  
  
The rear access door slowly went down. A dissappionted Skeff and crew slowly walked out from the interior of the stuffy ship. They heared toward the tall grey door at the end of the long narrow walk.  
  
* * *  
  
Darfinis Maurader sat at the console, staring blankly at it.He was watching the Council over the A/V feed that was put dirrectly into his small palm computer. He knew he was taking a risk when he brought it here, they could treck him with it. He sighed at the verdict. The Council sent so many convicts to maximium security asteroids. They would have to put in funding for more out-of-the-way deserted asteroids so they could erect more prisons. The United Mining Federation wouldn't like this, the Council was always purging thier asteroids for things like this. He sighed and slunk into the chair.  
  
There was a sharp tap on the door. "Come in." Maurader huffed. General Skeff slid indide and quietly shut the door. He seemed to stare at Darfinis, which made him uneasy. "Have a seat." Darfinis motioned. He pulled up a black chair from the desk and sat down. Skeff was waiting untill he had Maurader's full attention. Now he was looking at his small screen, apaprrently absorbed in it. He pulled a cigar from a case he carried inside his jacket and lit it. He blew rings into the air while he waited for him to finish up what ever he was doing. After a few more minutes and six cigars Darfinis shut the monitor off.  
  
Both men stared into eachother's eyes. Darfinis gave a 'well?' look, Skeff under stood. "Sir, about the mission, uh, we encountered some, uh, hang- ups." He stated unsurely. "How many did we lose?" Darfinis asked. "Sir, I regret to say this, but. All of them. Never stood a chance. We stared losing contact when they neared the controll room." Skeff said shakily. "Were the bodies distroyed?" Skeff nodded. Darfinis stood up and walked to an aquarium in the corner of the room and stared into it. He sighed. "We have only two more options." He said, apparently to thin air. "Sir?" Skeff asked. Darfinis sighed again. "The only one I am willing to reveal is this. We offer Dr. Jookiba a large sum of money. More than he has ever seen. In exchange for either his services or everything he has on this 'Experiment 626' He will not refuse." "And if he does?" "Then I initiate my other plan." "And that would be..." Skeff asked. "It will give us '626' and it might create the upheval in the system we need." An evil grin crossed Maurader's face. Skeff smiled too.  
  
* * *  
  
He didn't know exactly what he would do, except kill and destroy everthing that looked important. After the occupants from the ship left he dropped onto the cold concrete floor. He surveyed the area. There were six landing pads and a door on the end of the long walkways that went into grey doors. He looked down onto the floor low below. It was a long way down, about ten meters. There was a ship, half dismantled. Obvoiusly they were fixing it. The pieces lay all arround the floor, in neat rows. No definsible position if he was attacked. He hoped that beyond the grey door there was a better place for battle.  
  
While walking up to the door he imagined huge open rooms and seemingly roofless areas where he could reak havoc. He only had two of his yellow Federation blasters, practically useless against heavy armor. But then again the soldiers didn't have any armor over their heads, he was so low to the ground it didn't matter. He could though, shoot up throught the groinal area and into the chest cavity. He grinned at this thought.  
  
The door slid open when he approached. Either they wanted to lure him in, or any body who had gotten this far deserved to go in. When he entered there were no cavernous areas or roofless voids. There were narrow halls and small offices. Even better than the huge idea.  
  
While walking down the long main hall he realized there were two things he needed. A map and a bite to eat. He didn't know where to get either. He soon made a map in his head. He'd passed nine offices then ran into a dead end. He re-traced his steps and started all over. He was getting frustrated when he found that the whole level he was on was a perfectly square. With nine by nine offices. He decided to head for the middle of the area.  
  
So far he'd not seen any cameras, or any one for that matter. He realized that it was the dead of night and everyone was probably home. His stomach churned when he thought that word, home. To his relief he found an elevator in the dead center of the square. He triead pressing the button on the side of the door way. Nothing. He then looked higher, there was a keycard scanner above the button. He cursed. Where would he get a keycard. He headed for the nearest office.  
  
He pushed open the nearest office door he could find. A smell of familliarity washed over him. The office was strewn with papers and other objects. The bookcases had been tipped over and at the desk sat a small alien who was hunched over, a bottle of blue liquid in one hand and a cup in the other. Although the room smelled clean it wasn't. He noisily made his way over to where the strange alien lay. He crawled between the legs and looked up, he saw a blue keycard. He reached up and tore it from the white shirt. Before he left, 626 grabbed the bottle that the man was holding.  
  
He spat at the sour taste, it wasn't wine or any brew, it was window cleaner, the man inside had comitted suicide. Probaly over the loss of his job, or he was being downsized instead of moved up. Or maybe he had gotten in to far, into something that killed him. Although the cleaner wouldn't harm, him he dispised the taste. He threw the bottle against the nearest wall. He swiped the keycard and the elevator beeped. While he waited he stuck the keycard into his pocket. He heard the elevator hum into the port. He feared for the worse, he took out his blasters and put them on stun, then he pointed his blasters toward the door.  
  
The doors slowly slid open. Inside were two gaurds talking to each other. They didn't notice 626, they continued to talk. 626 on the other hand saw them. He waited for them to see him. They still didn't. He put a round into each of their heads. The two life less bodies slumped to the floor. He pocketed his guins and pulled them out of the elevator, leaving a trail of blood. He went into the elevator and examined the buttons on the wall. They were all labeled according to floor. Floor 1 - Offices, Floor 2 - Controll, Floor 3 - Barracks, Floor 4 - Archives, Floor 5 - Intell. He chose the most suiting, he pressed 2, controll. The elevator doors closed and it hummed off.  
  
* * *  
  
Darfinis Maurader exited the elevator. He had been in there way too long, he hoped his hologram worked. Now all he had to do was get inside the range of the generator and shut it off and act like he went to the cafeteria for a drink or something. The Illegal Federation he'd raised from the dust had come along way from the decrepid old house on the out skirts of Tirivis (The city where they are, also the capital of the planet.) He'd secretly funneled several hundred dollars into a new, temporary base. Then he got together the greatest Drug lords of Turo, trained them militarily and started his empire. He dealt in Drug trafficking and the production and distribution of illegal armnaments. They were now a multi-billion dollar Empire that owned half of the Council, money could pursuede the hardest of men. Business was good.  
  
He breathed the fresh air of the night before he stepped into his pritvate cruiser. He told the driver to head for the Council Senate. The huge building dirrectly in the center of the city. The green ship sped off and got into the traffic high above the ground.  
  
* * *  
  
The elevator was almost to the destination. He readied his blasters and waited. He knew the controll center would be filled with computer geeks and other types, and there would be alot of them, most likely armed. He really didn't want to ring off the general alarm yet, but he had no choice. He'd spotted fire doors that closed whenever the fire alarms rung off. all he had to do to end this was close the fire doors and create a huge explosion. He could also justify his actions. This was the drug lord's main lodge, they also produced weapons of mass destrucion. There fore they should be put out. But then Jumba was also manufacturing weapons of mass desrtucion."What the heck." he mumbled.  
  
The elevator doors burst open. 626 peered into the barrels of eight Ops- men, all wearing heavy armor. In the back of the room filled with computers and printers were the technitians, they were huddled in a corner. He had two blasters and they had assault riffles. He cursed himself for not grabbing the soldier's guns. They shouted for him to put the weapons down, but he was off and thinking, not paying attention to them. He could either put his weapons down and live to see the sun again. Or errupt in a hail of rounds, there was a good chance the Ops were expecting this, they seemed tense. Both of the side knew that all it took was a shot to blow this thing. He furiosly looked arround for a better weapon. The tension was growing, 626 wouldn't budge and the Ops were getting restless. 626 yawned, revealing a set of nice sharp teeth, he could stay here all night. Then his stomach rumbled.  
  
The situation got worse. The Ops got touchy, they moved in closer. 626 was now really looking for another way out of this. He stared at the Ops. He looked over their armnaments. Riffle, extra rounds, plasma grenades, flashlight, gas grenades. Gas grenades! They were filled with a hazy like substance under pressure. He noticed they were three on their vests. He though hard. He could fire at two of them, kill the Opsmen and release the cloaking clouds of cover. He grinned.  
  
He braced himself, getting ready to do this. He jumped into the air, towards the Opsmen. His timing had to be right. He shot two rounds. He still continued to float through the air when he heard a hiss then the sound of the rounds going into them. He was about to reach the ground when the air exploded into a grey haze. He rolled when he touched the floor and spun in a 180 degree circle and opened fire. The Ops men did the same. There were green riffle rounds flying everywhere and there were yellow blaster rounds hitting from where the riffle rounds came from.  
  
It was all over in a matter of seconds. There was a groan of a wounded man somewhere. The smoke still hung in the air, thicker from the gunfire. 626 couldn't see but a few figures and the outlines of the Opsmen and the controll consoles. The Ops men, in panic, had shot the other soldiers arround them, between their rounds and 626's rounds they were decimated.  
  
He waited for a few seconds to confirm they were all out. When he was sure they were he headed for the controll panels. When he reached them, to his surprize, they were all shot up. The soldiers had fired in everywhich dirrection, and now they ruined them. There were three operational monitors though. He looked into them, on them he saw soldiers and Opsmen running about the place. They were obviously comming to the controll room. He turned arround and went to find the soldiers weapons, the ammount of armed men he'd seen told him there would be one heck of a fire fight.  
  
He thought he'd done enough dammage to the corporation, now he had to get outta here. He stole a quick glace at the map of the facility on the wall and memorized it. He headed for the narrow hallway in the middle of the current floor. After that there would be an elevator, straight out of here. He saw the doors, only fifty feet away. He han hard, as fast as his small legs could carry him. The nearer he got it seemed so far away. He was three feet from the door. He dived into the closed doors. Safe.  
  
He pressed the up button and waited. 626 heard the grinding from the old elevator as it came down. He sighed in relief. A huge explosion rocked the ground where he was. He was thrown off his feet and slid away from the doors as the ground continued to shake. He rolled over to see what had happened after the grounds stopped. He didn't see anything amiss on the first sweep of the room. He turned to the elevator, smoke was comming from the crack in the closed doors. He gave a frustrated yell and began to pry the doors open. Inside he found the walls of the shaft bent and red hot. The elevator was an inferno at the bottom. He guessed the only thing that could do this was some form of napalm bomb. They'd laid in in the elevator to try and kill him.  
  
626's attention was turned from the elevator to the sound from arround the corner. He'd been occupied with the explosion he didn't notice the Ops creep up onto him. They now stood arround the corner, waiting. He jumped behind a plant by the elevator doors which now hung agape. He watched as a mirror was poked from arround the corner. He raised the riffle and put a round into the center of the mirror. He sneered as the soldier holding the mirror cursed. He heard them talking quietly, he listened in. "I didn't see him." he heard. "We go on three." "One." pause. "Two." .... "Three!".  
  
Instead of one team behind the left corner, there were two, one behind the right corner. The line of troops sped up the long hallway. 626 waited, better to have surprize then to show yourself and get shot. He was hiding behind the pot, estimating the time when they'd be where he wanted. They moved so silently he couldn't hear them. 'Ok, they should be there...... Now!' 626 whipped from behind the pot and hurled himself into the air.  
  
The same creepy thing happened as it had two times before. Time seemed to slow down. He looked at the soldiers, a few more steps and they would have found 626. This threw things off, now they were too close. He saw the helmet grow big. Then he smacked into it. He tried grabbing for it with his free paws.  
  
The soldiers just saw something jump into the air. They fired where it was. 626 was clutched onto the soldier's helmet, triying to hold on and get to the ground. He turned arround to see the soldier's firing. The deadly laser rounds were comming close. He leapt off and into the air. The shots hit the soldier's helmet and went into his head. 626 watched in slow motion, the shot went into the head, slowly emmerged out the otherside, brains and blood with it. Then the whole skull seemed to suck in. Then it expanded and exploded, sending blood every where.  
  
He hit the ground and things returned to normal time. The fragments and blood that hung in the air flew fast and hit the wall. The soldier fell over. The soldiers realized their errors, and started shooting at the orange and blue thing on the floor. 626 was faster, he answered with a hail of blaster rounds. He heard the armor crack at such a close range. Tiny spurts of blood came from under the black suits. He continued to fire. He grunted as something hit his stomach. He ignored it and fired into the crowd of soldiers.  
  
The last black body armored soldier fell into the ever growing pool of blood from the acidental shot to the soldier's head. 626 stop shooting. The soldiers were all gone. "Ha! No man is taller than the last man standing." he sneered. That was out of the way, now all he had to do was leave. He peered up the elevator shaft. The smoke had cleared and now he could see the light from the open doors at the top. He knew what he had to do. He pocketed his blasters and jumped to the wall on the inside of the shaft and started his climb up.  
  
* * *  
  
The comm rang, the insistent sound of the annoying buzzer. 'Who the heck would be calling now?' Darfinis thought. He opened his lead weights for eyelids and stared at the red numbers on the clock. "Holy Shit!, It's 2200 hours." (remember the 38 hour Turian day) "This had better be good." He removed the covers from his body and felt the cold night air. He reached over to his nightstand and picked up the reciever. "Hello?" he said. "Mr. Darfinis, sir, this is Birf, the Security gaurd at the Grevold." he stopped. "Yes? and what impells you to call me at this time of night?" Dafrinis snapped. "Uh... sir, something has happened... uh. I'll call you later." the gaurd said hesitantly. "No, no. Tell me." Darfinis reassured him. "Ok, here goes. There has been a level one security breach. Three squads tried to get it under controll. Now there all dead. All vital systems distroyed and a good portion of the base is on fire." Darfinis stopped dead. The center of the operations was gone. He'd just been there a few hours ago. He was furious. "Find out who was responcible and inform me when you do." He slammed down the reciever on the base. He got up and headed for the shower.  
  
He thought about the cover up at first. They would definately send out an investigation team. Then they would discover the base. There would be a drastic decrease in the illegal smuggling. The Galactic police would claim responcibility, and that would spook all the low competitors into stopping. He'd have to issue the order of destroying the building, and blame the explosion on the planetary rights activists. He'd have to contact all his major ascociates and inform them. Get help for the rebuilding of the new base and maybe get some new smuggling friends. But he still would have to deal with Dr. Jumba and his experiments, to try and pursuede him into selling one, or two. Today would be a long day.  
  
* * *  
  
He was three feet from the top when his stomach growled. He stopped and waited from the pain to go away. 626's breathing got shallow, the pain increased. He slowly looked down. He saw what had hit him. He winced as he touched where the round had hit him, dirrectly in the stomach. "This shouldn't have happened" he mumbled. He wondered why the round had any effect on him. He though for a few seconds. The pain went away, for now. He heaved up the last feet, and rolled onto the floor gasping. He watched the ceiling spin. He closed his eyes. A few seconds later he recovered and shakily got to his feet. He pulled out a blaster and headed for the front door.  
  
He walked across the huge lobby that was strewn with various plants and designer couches. He smelled the air and coughed, on the air was a foul smell of plastic burning. The wound on his chest started to bleed, very slightly though. He slowed his pace when he heard a vehicle outside, it hovered in the air then left. The fresh cool air from the night felt good. He'd been breathing in the same musty, smokey air in the base for several hours. He hadn't realized he'd been down there for a long time. He looked down the street and into the sky. The night was dissappearing and the red disk was not far from comming up. There were already the telltale signs of the dawn. He limped down the steps and into the street.  
  
* * *  
  
He was having a nice dream. He had won the award for the farthest advancement in geneological enhancement, and was now sitting on the shore of the great Turian Ocean. His experiments were there too, except they were doing something in the back of him. He watched as 327 approached him. She then started shaking him violently arround.  
  
He awoke to find 327 was shaking him, well his bed actually. He sat up and looked down at her. There was an expression of concern and worry on he face. "What is it now?" Jumba said sleepily. He rubbed his eyes with his large hands. "I found something you should see." 327 said, and pointed out the door. "I'll see it in a minute." he yawned. "No, you have to come now." there was a dead look of seriousness upon her face. Jumba got out of bed, didn't bother to take off his pajamas and went to se whan all the fuss was about.  
  
"It was here this morning when we woke up." 625 said, clutching a sandwich in one paw. Jumba looked down at the piles of restrained soldiers. "Was there anything else? Or just this." he asked. "There were several riffles, but I put them into the armory." 625 said, staring into his sandwich. "What model?" Jumba asked. 327 spoke up, "There were three Viktov 7's and two other dammaged riffles that I couldn't make out." Jumba sighed. He knew that those riflles were commonly used by Special Ops forces. Jumba then looked at the computers, there was a slimy coating on all of them. "What about the computers?" "Haven't tried them yet." 327 said. "Oh yea Doc," 625 blurted out, "Guess what. 6-" 327 whacked him. Jumba sighed. "Let me guess, 626 is gone right?" 625 said nothing, fearing he'd get hit again. "Yes." 327 said. He sighed again, "Let's get this cleaned up." "I've kept the soldiers under with tranquilizers." 327 informed Jumba. "We'll find a nice spot to dump them later."  
  
* * *  
  
He didn't know how long he'd walked, the only thing he knew was the growing pain on the outside and on the inside of his stomach. The sun was nearly up now. There was the ever constant smell of food in the air. He didn't stop, he pressed on. He'd seen three cruisers already, that meant the shops were opening up. Thee had been a few aliens on the street, but they gave him no indication that he was there.  
  
He was getting weak and weary, he had to stop and rest or get something to eat. He didn't have any credits, nor did he want a meal he'd killed for. He looked for a hideout. An alley. 626 walked inside the small narrow space filled with old couches and other furniture. He flopped down onto a mattress hidden under a table. He breathed heavily for a few seconds, then fell asleep. 


	13. A Deal You Can't Refuse

A Deal You Can't Refuse  
  
"She could change everything about her, using color bold and bright. But all the colors mix together, to grey." - DaveMatthewsBand.  
  
A cold breeze floated through the alleyways, cooling off the heat from the sun. The sun had been down for nearly an hour. The alley strewn with furniture had been long since cast in the shadows of the buildings surrounding it. To anyone, the alley looked like a place to discard unwanted furinture where it would rot into a huge pile of dirt.  
  
Under a table where a mattress lay was a small blue alien. He curled tighter as the wind sucked all the warmth from the objects arround him. He felt like he had a hangover, whatever that was. 626 was rudely awakened from his sleep when his stomach rolled. He felt the hunger pains and the emptyness inside. He felt to weak to move, he needed to eat something, it had been well over fifty six hours without any food. The alien lay there, eyes still shut, waiting for the pain to go away. A few minutes passed, it didn't leave him.  
  
626 heard a grunt from above. There was a few seconds before he knew what happened. Ther was a crash, the table above him exploded in a shower of splinters. A monitor from a computer came through the hole and right onto him. By the size of it he guessed it to be at least fifty years old. He put his arms up to stop the impact. It was huge, nearly three feet across. The mammoth thing landed ontop of him, pressing him against the mattress. He heard the screen break as soon as it hit him. He went into the screen, the springy mattress bounced it off, he exited again. There was a sharp pain in his arm, he couldn't tell which one he was so hungry and weak. After a few seconds he laid flat again, the glass crunched under him.  
  
He had to get up, had something to eat. He stood up and shakily exited the alleyway and went into the cold streets. The smell of oil and fresh paint stung his nose. He continued down the street. He was thinking of woh he would get back to Jumba's lab. He then remembered the homing device in his belt, he looked down. Much to his demise it wasn't there. He thought it might have gotten torn off when he was in that under-ground bunker. He sighed and continued his slow pace to where ever he was going, he didn't care anymore. He didn't notice, because of his wearyness, that he left the yellow blasters laying on the mattress.  
  
* * *  
  
"Nearly two days." 327 repeated. "Two days, and nothing." she sighed. Jumba had told her to watch for any news or report on a small creature with excess destruction. So far nothing. Jumba was gone, out looking for 626, he had been since early that morning. He told her to take all his calls. There were two of interest, both from someone named Darfinis and they both stated that he and Jumba should meet. She wrote down the number and promised him Jumba would call back.  
  
She heard the com beeb, indication that there was an incoming ship demanding entrance to the docking bay. 327 knew it was Jumba comming into range, obviously he found 626. She opened the docking bay doors to let him inside and ran to greet him. She reached the doors to the docking bay and saw the sad expression on Jumba's face, 625 sported one of joy. She didn't know why he took 625 anyway, the onlything he would look for was the nearest 'Subway'. She now put her share into the cloud that loomed over everyone's head in the lab. "Guess you didn't find him." she said. Jumba grunted in reply. All three walked off, away from the red ship.  
  
While the three were walking down the hall 327 was thinking of some way to find 626 easier than a manual search of each city block. "Jumba?" sh asked. "Hmm.." he grumbled. "Isn't there one of those tracking devices in 626's belt?" "327, I have no time to be concerned with 626's track-" He stopped. "That's it!" He exclaimed. He raced off to the controll room, 327 and 625 were following.  
  
Jumba didn't bother to grab a chair, he just whacked the keyboard while standing. His thick fingers went over the keys. "626 had a tracking device implanted into the belt of his combat suits. He had six, one was destroyed now there are five." He punched a few more keys. "And.." He pressed the final key. The screen took a few seconds to load. A map of the city relevant to where the lab and all the positions of the trackers was shown. Up in the corner there were sixnumbers, one was crossed out. There were tow dots on the screen, one was a cluster, in 626's locker. Jumba focused on the single dot. "He's not moving." 327 said in alarm after a few seconds. All three watched for a few more minutes. It still didn't move.  
  
"He's dead." 327 said flatly, tears welled up in her eyes. She turned from the screen. "And I haven't even told him I love him." She sank into the chair on which she stood and started weeping.  
  
Jumba started a log and traced the movements of the belt for the last two days. It took a good minute for it to finish loading the data. Then another screen popped up on the monitor. It showed all the movements since the preceding two days. He started the run. He watched as the computer re- enacted what happened.  
  
The red dot was stationary in 626's room. A nearly 0200 it started to move. Down several hallways, the controll room. The elevation increased, 626 had gone up somewhere, outside the lab. It traveled across the grass then paused. It shot off fast very fast, the computer fought to keep up with the map display. It stopped arround eight mile from the lab, right above an old Gothic Building, the altimeter was showing it at several hundred feet. It paused, then shot off again. Across the forest outside the city, pause. Jumba watched the altimeter drop, below sea level. The dot flew off again. It stopped right under the same building that it had hovered over minuted before. It moved under the buliding for nearly an hour. Then it stopped, one hundred feet below the city streets. "Come on.." He mumbled Three hours passed in the re-enactment, four eight. The red dot was stationary. Thirteen hours. "Danmit!" Jumba yelled, 625 fell off the chair from the sudden explosion of Jumba's temper. "So he's dead." 625 said, a bit of remorse ans joy in his voice. 327 wailed louder. "I don't believe so. He could be unconscious, or imprisoned."  
  
Jumba moved over 327's chair. "Tomorrow, we go see what's with that building." He stared down at her. "And I would like you to accompany me 327." She sniffed and tried to pull herself together. "Ok." she managed to choke out. "I'm going to my room to-" she stopped and ran off.  
  
* * *  
  
The night was dark. He stumbled on the side walk. 626 was sure this was the right way to Jumba's lab. They turned off all the holo dirrectories at night, so he couldn't be sure. The only thing he cartian about at this point was hunger and exaustion. He passed a corner and walked across the street. He saw something wierd, a light flash inside a shop across the street. He froze.  
  
A bakery, filled with cakes and rolls and sweets of all kinds. He drooled uncontrollably. But there was something amiss, the front door was wide open. He would sneak in and take a roll, or doghnut, or cake. He approached the door and heard a shuffle. He saw three aliens bent over behind the counter in the corner. They appeared to be kicking something. He heard a muffled cry for help. He knew what the men were now doing, this was a robbery. Plus they were beating on an innocent, defenceless alien, and that was HIS job.  
  
The three lifted up the baker and started to head toward the door. 626 saw the baker, his white apron was now red with blood and several bruises were starting to form. The baker opened a bloody eye and spotted 626, he knew that the little blue alien didn't come with the robbers, a kid out on a late night cruise perhaps. He whispered, almost silently. "Get help."  
  
626 wasn't in the mood for doing any good deeds, but how would he feel when he needed someone, and no one came. The appeared unarmed, but if they were it didn't matter. He waited outside the door, crouched in a defensive stance. The three brought the baker over to the blue cruiser. "Now or never." he mumbled. He sprinted to the vehicle, pausing only to pick up a piece of glass.  
  
He came right throught the legs of the one with a leather coat, he came crashing to the ground and was knocked unconscious. "What the?" the red shirt yelled. 626 ran the glass across his shins. The red shirt screamed, and fell over in pain.  
  
The last one, the green hat, pulled out a silenced pistol and pulled the baker in front of him. "Come any closer and he gets it." His hand shook. A sweat broke out on his fore head. 626 used this as an advantage, he slowly walked foreward, as fast as he could manage. "D-don't come any closer." 626 still pressed on. "I'm warning you." the green hat said. Still comming. He pointed the blaster toward him. "Stop!" There was a definate tone of fear.  
  
The squeak of the gun echoed off the walls of the small intersection. The shot hit the little blue alien right in the chest. And he still kept comming. "What the?" he said. Three more shots follwed, none had any effect. He looked at the gun and stared. He dropped it and ran off into the night, as fast as he clould.  
  
The baker stood up on his own will, he didn't need any coaxing. He was amazed at both the small alien and the gun that apparently had no effect. He sat down on the curb and watched as the little alien came closer. "Are you alright?" he asked. "Yes, I'm fine." The baker said. There was a good fear and awe in what he'd seen. He wanted to know more about the corious little blue thing. "Is there any way I can repay you?" The alien smiled, "Yes there is." he left it there. "And what would it be?" The baker asked. 626 pointed to the shop. "Let's start with a loaf of bread."  
  
* * *  
  
The warmth felt good. Under the blankets 327 stirred. She really didn't want to go with Jumba to retrieve what was left of 626, or some other thing like that. She'd cried herself to sleep last night. There was hope that 626 was alive. Untill she'd seen the body there was a glimmer of hope inside her. She tossed the blankets off of her and got up. There was still some regret and pain inside. She looked arround her small room, before closing the door.  
  
Outside the lab was eerily quiet, there was not a sound. This was normal, she was always the first one up.She yawned as she walked to the controll room. This was the first thing she did every day, check the controlls and make sure that all systems are operational. Then she could go get breakfast and such.  
  
After three hours of looking at the controlls, the controll room seemed normal and now 327 headed for the kitchen. She'd seen some pastries from Osgov that she had to try. Before she got there Jumba blocked her way and dirrected her toward the docking bay. "What's the rush?" she said in alarm, as Jumba pushed her on. He almost seemed to be kicking her. " We have to hurry." He said hastily. "Why?" she asked. "An informant of mine says the building in which 626 is in will be searched thoroughly by a secret hired team of forensic scientists. And I they find any trace of him, well you know." 327 senced the urgency and began to run.  
  
* * *  
  
"Is everything ready?" Darfinis looked over to an alien in a green uniform. "Yes, your speach papers are here and there is a podium set up outside the front doors." Skeff said. "If everything goes right, three minutes after my speach the bombs hidden inside the Grevold will blow." He messed with his sleeves. "Have you gotten a hold of Dr. Jumba yet?" The General thought for a minute. "No, but we keep getting his secretary." "Jumba doesn't have a secretary." Darfinis shot back. "That's wierd." Skeff mumbled. "How do I look?" Darfinis asked, changing the subject. "Better than me." "I'll take that as a compliment." Darfinis said with a cut throat tone. "If Jumba decides to take my offer or not, we will get experiment 626. I already have the greatest scientists working on a replicator. When it is finished we will be able to replicate 626 and create an indestructable army." An evil grin followed. Maureder and General Skeff headed out to the podium in the shadow of the Grevold.  
  
* * *  
  
Jumba punched the accelertor in the small green land cruiser. 327 sat in the back, a small laptop on the back seat, the red dot that was 626 was getting stronger. "Were close." she yelled over the wind and engine. Jumba didn't say a word, he focused on driving the hovering vehicle. A few minutes later they were getting closer to the Grevold. "327, I'll need you inside that infernal place, but you can't be seen. I'll need you to climb inside this bookbag." He lifted it up. It was big, for her, she would easily fit inside with ample elbow room. "We'll need the laptop too."  
  
327 climbed inside without any hesitaion. She sat down in the bottom, she flipped up the screen. 'Oh, yea. Lots of room.' she thought. There was a thin stream of light comming in throught the cracks in the top. "Quiet." Jumba said. The cruiser had stopped. The bag was lifted up.  
  
Jumba parked in an alley way right across from the gathering crowd. He was worried when he saw the hover vans with news names on the side. C-Star, CNNX, and the TuroSR Channel were all there. The building didn't look dammaged from the outside, but then there was an underground bunker. He walked toward the mass of people. Three security gaurds appraoched him. "What do you have in that pack sir?" one asked. "My laptop." Jumba said outloud, so that 327 could here. "Could we see it?" Jumba reached back and pulled it out and handed it to the secrity gaurd. They handed it back. "Any identification?" Jumba pulled out his Liscence, MD certification, and permit to buy chemicals. "Dr. Jumba?" Jumba nodded. "Come with us." the gaurd said.  
  
He didn't think much of the command he always had poeple giving him orders. He nodded and followed the three gaurds arround the masses of aliens to the side of the podium. "Wait here, untill after the speach. Mr. Maurader will want to talk to you." The three left Jumba standing alone. 'Mr Maurader?' he asked himself. 327 senced the gaurds gone, but she still remained silent. "327." Jumba mumbled. "Yea?" she said back. "Use that laptop and find out what you can on this 'Maurader' person." "I'm on it."  
  
A few minutes passed while 327 dug into the files of the Federation. She leared over the years of hacking they were the best place to get information on subjects. She browsed over the material. Then compacted it fror Jumba to get in while the speach was going on. "Says, Darfinis Maurader, age, 21. Nephew to Councilor Alkadia Onedia. Learning the roots to be a Councilor himself. Um..... Outstanding record at Skedil (Like Oxford) grade piont avg, is 3.8. Other that than nothing." She whispered to him. "Hmmmm...., Thanks anyway 327." Now why would some junior councilor want to see him. His attention was diverted to the speach.  
  
There was a very lengthy speach on the vulgar attack in the 'basement' of the Grevold. And the subject of how evil the enviromentallists are things got boring. The crowd slowly disentegrated after several minutes of the speach. In half an hour only the news crews and some chairmen from variuos boards were left. The tall alien finished up the speach. Jumba didn't remember the news cars leaving faster, they usually hung arround to ask questions. He laughed, he hoped the alien that was at the podium didn't give him a long boring speach, he might fall down dead.  
  
Darfinis knew why Jumba was here. He used his comms link and called off the bombs with his wrist computer and told them to wait. He knew Jumba would want to look inside. Maurader walked to Jumba, he nodded to the gaurds and the suited men began to push back the crowds people that wanted to get his signature and such.  
  
"Dr. Jumba, I presume." Jumba whipped arround and was surprized to see the same alien that was at the podium. "Are you going to bore me to?" he said with cynicism. "No no, that speach was pre made, by some sappy men in tuxedoes." Both laughed. "Darfinis Maurader." he said, sticking out his hand in a friendly gesture. "So what have you to say about my proposal?" Darfinis asked. Jumba gave a look of confusion. "What proposal?" "Didn't your secretary give you the message?" "Secretary?, three t-." Jumba's face redened. He pushed the back pack in an attemt to move 327 voilently. She whacked him from inside the bag. "Let's step inside, out of this heat." Darfinis motioned.  
  
Darfinis led them into a first story meeting room and asked the gaurds for some quiet outside. Jumba carefully removed the backpack, set it on the floor and sat down on one of the many couches. Darfinis took a seat infront of Jumba. "Drink?" he offered. "No, thanks." "Now Dr. Jumba. I have an interesting proposal for you. A deal you can't refuse. I'm going to be flat out, I tust you will keep this conversation private, for the good of both of us. I'm part of the 'Agency' as most know it. And you have something we want. A little creature known as 'Experiment 626' What do you say if I offer you a grant, 30 billion credits. A new lab and unlimited rescources and access to where ever." Jumba turned pale. "But the other side is that you must either contribute you acquired knowledge on you genetic modification, or give me one of your finished works." Darfinis' offer was tempting. Very tempting. "Now what-" Jumba was cut off. "Name your price, your fancy, anything." "Before I concider your offer there is something I must check." "Go ahead." "I need acess to your, uh, very large complex below this building." Jumba stated. Maurader's face flushed. "How would you know there's one down there." he tried not to hide it. "I need to get down there." "For what reason?" "If you do not take me there I will refuse your offer." Got him there. Darfinis sighed.  
  
The elevator ride down was long. The yellow lights flashed off and on inside the small space. The smell of grease and metal was ever present. "I want to warn you. Something had destroyed most of the controlls and may still be rampant down there." Darfinis informed Jumba. Jumba didn't say a word, his face was expressionless,at least they hadn't found him. Darfinis was alarmed by his silence. The elevator beeped. The cold steel doors swung open, revealing white hallways. He looked arround, this was not the right elevator. "I need to get to the other elevator." Jumba said after a full look at the small room. He reached into the back pack and got the small computer from 327. He popped it open and looked inside. The map screen was already up. "Take me here." He pointed to the computer.  
  
They reached a door that was the only thing blocking them to see if the red dot was 626 dead body. Jumba didn't bother for the handle he kicked it open with his huge foot. The door creaked and fell off. Inside were six black body bags, all were filled. There was pieces of ceiling laying on the floor, a turned over bench and other things scattered about the floor. Jumba used the computer to get right over the dot. Under where the signal was comming from, it was blocked by a piece of elevator door that had been blown there. He heaved the huge thing out of the way and expected to see a lifeless blue alien in an orange uniform. He closed his eyes.  
  
327 started to sniffle, tears came from under her eyes. She was second from beaking out in tears. She held them back. She heard the silence in the room outside the pack. She slowly started to shake. She sniffed again.  
  
Jumba looked down. There was some white dust and a few pieces of plaster. No body. No 626. There was however in the dust a small legnth of fabric. In the center was a brown buckle, where the homing chip was inset. He bent over to pick it up. He looked at the ends, broken. There was a small ammount of blue fur by the frayed edges. Torn off. He crushed the chip in the belt. The red dot dissappeared and the computer flashed, 'Target Lost'. Lost. He put the belt in the computer and closed it. He put it inside the backpack.  
  
327 was nocked over the head with something. She rubbed her head and picked up the laptop. She flicked it open. Inside there was 626 orange belt, the back and brown belt. She knew what that meant. 626 was alive. Her spirit soared and she wanted to explode in joy. She could rock the joint. But she was stuck in that stuffy old bag, and he was out there.  
  
Jumba turned arround and tried to look dishearted. Darfinis found a trace of joy in his face. "What was this about?" he damanded. "A hunch paid off." Jumba walked toward the elevator. "And my proposal?" Darfinis asked worriedly. "Give me one day." Jumba said. When Jumba was running for the green ship he said something. "If you don't, you'll regret it. I'll put you in so much shit you'll have to eat it to get out."  
  
Darfinis waved goodbye as Jumba put the bookabag down in the pasenger side of the green cruiser. He jumped over the door and into the seat. While starting the engine, 327 poked her head out from the bag. "You can come out now." Jumba said, she heard something in his voice, something she thought was dead in him. "Where's 626?" she asked. Jumba told her to watch for him on the ground as they drove to the lab. Jumba needed his big cruiser with life form scanning capabilities.  
  
* * *  
  
"What was that all about?" Skeff asked Darfinis, who was holding a bottle of ale. "He wanted to look for something down there." He answered. "Hmmm..." The General mumbled. 'Why? What was he looking for? There was something down there that was more important than my offer. He built those things to be indestructable. He didn't even want to consider what I'd said about them.' He stopped. Back up. 'Indestructable, he was looking for one of them. That is why he wanted to delay my offer. He also sped off in a hurry. One of the experiments must be missing, and he followed it there. That means he doens't know here it is.' "What if I told you, Skeff, that we could have 626 without Jumba's cooperation." Skeff raised an eyebrow. "And what would that be? We've already lost a valuable contact and a whole strike team. How would we go about doing that?" he said skepticaly.  
  
"Jumba came here, not to make a deal, to find his experiment. He left so suddenly. There must be only one explanation for that." Darfinis explained. "Your saying he was looking for it. And now he's totally lost track of it. If any of this is true we need to act fast." Skeff said, a sense of shock was in his voice. Darfinis got on the small communicator and canceled all meetings and client hearings untill tomorrow. He called what was left of his fleet of ships and ordered a pick up at his dirrect loaction.  
  
* * *  
  
Jumba and 327 whizzed into the port. Jumba cut the engine and leapt out. While runnung for the red cruiser he shouted at 327. "327, go grab 625, literally." Jumba instructed her. She smiled and ran off. 327 found him in the kitchen doing what he always did, eating. "Jumba wants us." she said to him. 625 threw what was left of the sandwich into his mouth. "Gimme a minute." He started to make another sandwich. 'Go grab 625, literally.' 327 grinned.  
  
Jumba was peacefully organizing several extra couplings in the cargo bay under the cockpit. He heard a faint screaming that was comming from the outside of the ship. It grew louder, he went to investigate. He was near the door when 327 walked in, she carried 625 over her head and he was screaming. "Put me down, you cottonball!" he yelled. "Cottonball?" Jumba asked. "Try something more dramatic next time." 625 gave a sour expression. 327 snickered.  
  
"Ok," Jumba said as he pushed the button on the side of the wall in the kitchen. The hatch to the cargo hold closed up. "Now that everyone is here we can go." He headed for the cockpit. 327 took the co-pilot's seat and 625 sat in one of the passenger seats in the rear. "Fuel?" Jumba asked. "Nine- tenths." 327 replied. "Batteries." "Check." "Then hold on." Jumba turned the engine over, the huge beast rumbled to life. He hit the accelerator and the gargantuan ship lurched off.  
  
* * *  
  
Close, he was getting close. He could feel it. The loaf of bread had restored most of his energy, he now moved at a steady pace. None the less his stomach told him it was near dinner. The holo dirrectories had been on for a while. He checked in with one of them. He was nearly three miles east of the Lab complex. He began wondering. What would Jumba do with him when he was finished being tested, after all he was sure the tests were almost over. Would he just roam the lab, just another obsolete experiment. He passed a factory. Surely Jumba would find another flaw and make another experiment, experiment 627. It was hard to tell, Jumba hid most of his affection toward him. Rarely ever prasing him for just being experiment 626.  
  
He heard the low rumble of a cruiser. Over the low long factory appeared a red cruiser. Jumba. He'd found him. 626 looked up. The paint was a dull red and the fusalage scratched and marred. He didn't care, Jumba was up there. He waved up at the ship. It stopped and two lights flashed. Jumba had spotted him. He stood still and waited to be beamed up. The tickling sensation passed and he was aboard.  
  
When the light faded he looked arround. Steel walls, he thought Jumba had a blue teleportal room. He spun arround, no door. Now he was getting spooked. He franticly searched for the blasters in his pockets, he found only a small piece or re-bar. He cursed for not checking after he'd woken that morning. He heard a whirr, from behind. There was a prick in his back. He turned to see what it was. There was a dart sticking out from his orange suit. His head started to spin, he pulled it out, but he was already too late. He collapsed on the cold steel floor. Balckness insued. 


	14. A Tempting Offer

A Tempting Offer  
  
"Now that I know what I'm without, you can't just leave me here." ~ Evanescence  
  
Inside him something was growing. He felt he was part of a bigger plan, he was only a pawn in the game. But what game were they playing? If he could find out what exactly they were playing he might get the upperhand.  
  
He felt the same predicament that he was in the last time he'd been tranquilized. His arms felt like a million pounds each, too heavy to lift. Pinned down, was his first thought. Strapped to a table. Strange voices floated through his head, or maybe they were outside, in the room. They seemed to come from every angle. There was a firery knife in his stomach, he felt as if his entestines were hanging out on a table. A cold examination table, he shivered. Cold, too cold. He tried to curl up so as to retain what little heat he had. He still lay unmoving, he couldn't force himself to move. The thought of being ripped apart while he was still alive was a chilling though. After every growing pain he wanted to scream, there was no holding back. But he couldn't even manage that, the only thing he could do was think, he felt paralized. He felt defeated. He chose no to acknkowledge anything anymore, he was giving up. He fell into a deep sleep.  
  
* * *  
  
Three days had passed since the meeting with Mr. Darfinis. Jumba hadn't called him , nor had Darfinis called Jumba. After searching the city three times over, each time he'd legnthened the time, but still found nothing. 626 was a fantom, lost in the concrete jungle of the city. He'd given detailed reports to the police, not revealing that 626 was a genetic experiment. He was beginning to doubt 626 was even on the planet, much less in the galaxy. He'd given up on 626. If he was alive, maybe someday he would return.  
  
Things got alot worse when Jumba announced he wouldn't make any more runs on the city. 327 couldn't think of anything worse. She'd cried herself to sleep the last three nights. She missed out on all the meals, rarely getting anthing to eat. She'd also threatened to leave Jumba, walk right out and look for 626 herself. Now that he'd given up on him it was now the only answer to seeing him again, it was now a constant thought, leave. When Jumba talked about the next experiment, number 627 she felt sick, a deep gash was ripped in her spirit. But even Jumba was effected by the abscence of 626.  
  
* * *  
  
He was happy there in his own world. Everything was perfect. Then there was a prick and everything dissappeared. He was drawn back into reality when the fire in his stomach grew. He felt as if there was a truck load of magma on his chest. He tried to move away, tried to crawl away. Then it stopped. The fire subsided, it was replaced by a cool feeling. He began to relax, 'Yea right'. Atleast the fire was gone. He wondered how long he'd been under, how long he'd been asleep in himself. Then the realism hit, he was still on what ever he was when he went. The voices were now less slurred and more clear. He expected to open his eyes and see his innards strewn arround, and the doctors who were taking him apart. He didn't dare to open his eyes. He didn't want to face the realism.  
  
Then there was a soft voice, a touch on his face, not a harsh one, but a soft good natured one. The feeling was comming back now. He expected to feel cold. But instead there was a warmness all over, something soft. '327?' No. He tried to move again. His arms slowly responded, there were no restraints, no cold tables, no doctors. He opened his eyes.  
  
The world had changed. He was no longer in the steel cell where he'd been shot. He was somewhere else. A bedroom. He was laying in a bed, a soft one at that. The walls were white thought, no one appeared to be in the room. Now was his chance to get out. He didn't even know where he was, let alone get back to Jumba's lab. A door clicked. Two aliens in blueish garments walked in, one carried a syrenge filled with black liquid. When they spotted 626 awake and sitting up they tried to hide the sryenge. 626 gave them a cold glare, "Were you going to pump me with that shit again?" he asked, fire on his tounge. He felt the urge to kill something, mangle the life and twist the body. But the doctors had done nothing to him, yet anyway. He sighed.  
  
The two doctors noticed the almost instant change in 626 attitude. And thought better not to get off on the wrong side. They looked at eachother and decided to play this one way. "What the 'shit' you are referring to is a tranquilizer inverser, it counter-acts the effect and wakes the patient up." They tried to look pleased, but were more tense than ever. They knew what this thing could do, they'd seen it twice.  
  
626 immediately noticed something. They wanted something from his and were trying to sucker it out of him. He wanted all this tranquilizing crap to end, so he decided to play along untill he got the snake right where he wanted, then strike at the head. No doubt they were after his genetics and a good sample of his DNA. He'd play along. He watched as the doctors gave a 'trying to hide something' grin and hastily walked out the door. He layed back in the bed, thinking of all the good stuff he'd miss in Jumba's lab. His smile degraded into a wry frown. 327. If only she was here. Then he'd be in paradise. He first wanted to know where he was, then he'd worry about escape. His stomach growled. It had been near four days since he'd last eaten. He sat up and looked arround.  
  
There couldn't have been a more sappy set-up. White sheets covered the walls in an examination room of some sort. The bed was real, it was a white too. The bright halyogen lights made the room bright, too bright for his sensitive eyes. There was a small table in the corner, can you guess what color it is? No, not black, white. And there was a white vase that sat on top with white flowers in it. He felt like he needed to wretch on the place and make it less white.  
  
He was interupted with his survey when a tall alien walked in. He was a stunning ammount like Zri, except without the geeky glasses. He wore a dark red robe and there were many rings adorned on his three fingers. 626 felt comical for the moment. "I said I wanted something to eat, not a circus clown." The green eyes on the tall alien didn't even flinch, they stared coldly into 626. The blue alien made a weak smile. Then a s a relief to 626 the green eyed alien broke out into a wide grin. "Happy to have you here, 626." he said. 626 had no intention of this warm welcome. 'A set up, a real big set up.' he thought. Inside him there was something saying 'kill him' for no real reason. He had a feeling thay would meet sometime in the future, and all hell would brake loose.  
  
"626, I'm prepared to offer you anything you want, you name it you got it." He said. 626 knew this ploy. "There's a catch to it though." said as if he knew. "You will see when the time comes." The green eyed alien said. 626 rasoned he would either die or would be put in prison, or worse, a maximum security asteroid. He'd head about those places. They made you sleep, twenty to a room the size of a closet, and wear a collar that the gaurds regularly sent electrical pulses through for no aparent reason. And mine in the asteroid, hauling up all the stuff and when it went dry they moved you. It was hell, and he wanted to stay away from there. "I don't want anything untill you tell me what you want." 626 said icily 'Hm...... the little blue alien has a point' Darfinis thought. "I can't tell you yet, but untill then you will remain here, if you try to escape you will be shot." 626 grunted, and started to growl. "Um... look, maybe we could work this out, uh..." Darfinis said, a tone of fear in his voice. 626 grinned he was getting him nervous. He stood up and hissed. "I... uh..." More nervous. He sighed. "All we want is some blood, is that ok?" he spat out. 'good, now we're getting somewhere.' 626 thought. "Give me a week." 626 said. The tall alien didn't reply, he was lost in thought by the look on his face.  
  
The room was silent, which seemed to irritate the tall alien. He couldn't help but snicker. The tall alien broke the silence. "Fine, I'll give you one week." he smiled down at 626 "No doubt you want to know who I am. My name is Darfinis Maurader." he stuck out his hand in friendship. It happened again, he just seemed to melt, he wasn't shown any anger or hostility, so he stuck his paw out. They both shook. 626 still had an uneasy feeling, he would have to keep his eyes and ears open.  
  
Darfinis walked out of the room. Good, one week would give him time to think of an escape route. He would have to act inconspicuous for a while. He would play innocent every day, then sneak out at night.  
  
* * *  
  
6 days now, oh how it was hell. She sometimes had violent fits of anger followed by a day of depression. She felt incomplete without knowing where 626 was. She convinced herself that she'd lived without him for many years. But now she had given him a piece of her, now they were in love. He was more than experiment 626, he was her perfect. They both shared the same feeling toward eachother. And each time thay were together they felt more and more about eachother.  
  
He was missing now, gone. 327 felt like she was on the brink of insanity. She couldn't keep it inside anymore. She had to do something. At first she'd kept tabs on all the security systems and jail houses, knowing 626 he would get either arrested or fight to the death. Nothing that interesting had been on the Stellar reciever, meaning nothing had blown up because of him. There was nothing out there. She would have to go search for him.  
  
She was in the controll room looking for any thing that would help her on her journey. Then the comms rang. She peered at the messager, no one she knew. She picked it up anyway. "Hello?" she said. "Yeah, I saw this paper, says your looking for a little blue alien." he paused. Her hopes soared. "I saw him arround five days ago, over at my bakery, he whooped the hell outa some burglars. I followed him for a while to see where he'd go. But he was picked up by some of his friends in a red cruiser." the baker said. "Could you make out any model?" she asked quickly. "Yea, it appeared to be a Type IV cruiser. It was really dinged up too." "Thank you for your call, sir." 327 said. "No problem, he seemed like a very nice alien." He hung up.  
  
Yes! Now she had some leads. She spun arround to the computer and rapidly typed in the type. What she saw stunned her. The ship 626 had been picked up in was exactly like Jumba's cruiser. Next she added red to the search, 300 ships registered. Too many. She added, 'Dinged up' to the search. 10 registered. Ah, now that's more like it. She went throught them all. The first eight were scrapped, a long time ago. The next two were still in service. One was owned by an alien on the planet Pitstov, too far away. The next one shocked her. A red type IV cruiser, dammaged from wear, on Turo, under the name of Darfinin Maurader. The same alien that had introduced himself to Jumba.  
  
Pieces of the puzzle fell into place. The last piece was so obvious. She placed it down in the corner. Ah, the 1,000,000 piece puzzle was now fully together. She was now finished. Break was over. 327 closed the puzzle game on the computer and went to search for all the dwellings Mr. Darfinis has under his name. There were, much to her demise, nearly thirty. All spread arround the galaxy. It seemed to be in every major city on every big planet. She wanted to know what they were. Duh! He was an apprentice for Council, that explained that. She looked for a private house. Right here on Turo. It was in the Council's Main Hall. No room there to hide anything like 626. There was one odd one. He didn't own it, it was owned by the Galactic Reasearch Foundation, and he was Vice President. A rather large space station in space. In orbit practally nowhere, it was hanging near Turo's orbit. Prime suspect.  
  
Now all 327 had to do was a little hacking and she could view every thing that had a camera in the staion. A few minutes later and she was in. She locked all the systems and routine tasks for the computer. So that when they detected her she could lock out the computers. Now came the long part, searching through every camera in the joint, and that could take hours.  
  
Three hours later she was getting tired, but still kept at it. She'd gone through the cameras in the halls and was now scanning each room. The screen went white. She blinked. The camera moved, a small blue object was visible in the white room. She hit the freeze button. She studied the picture. A small screen popped up. "Oh shit." she mumbled. They'd detected her. She rapidly attacked the key board. Then she was kicked off the secruity systems and locked out. She tried fruitlessly to get back in. Then the whole screen closed. "Gah!" she screamed, they'd locked her out for good. She now only had the small immage of the blue speck in the white room.  
  
* * *  
  
Three days later and a complete tour of the whole place 626 felt relaxed. He had memorized all the turns and curves. He hadn't passed by any windows so he couldn't tell where exactly he was. He did notice somthing. The rooms appeared to be in a circular shape, indicating a space station of some sort. When ever he asked where thay were Darfinis shrugged him off. He had planned his escape route already. There was a supply ship sent from Turo to the place weekly. He would saboage the main engines and then destroy all the ships in the bay, then get on the supply ship and ride to safety. But firts he had to know where the engines were.  
  
Later that night he snuck out from the bed and cautiously approached the door. He creaked it open and peered outside. He spotted a camera at the end of the hall, glowing in his infrared vision. He waited for it to turn, then he scrambled up wall and clung to the ceiling. For a moment he was disoriented, then he got his bearings and header for where he heard what he thought was an engine used to run the space station.  
  
Thirty minutes later, and two wrong turns, he reached the room. He scanned for cameras and when he found none he dropped to the floor. He read the sign on the door. It said 'Thruster #1' Number 1? Ah crap, that meant there were more. He looked at the keypad, three colors, blue, red, and green. Using his excellerated mind he came up with some combinations. On his third one the door beeped open. He was faced with a ladder going down.  
  
The room down below was quiet. No one was present. And that was a good thing, because the ladder was covered with grease and 626 slipped on the first rung. He fell twenty feet and hit the metal ground with a 'thunk'. Normally some one would have been injured by the fall, but he was 626. He rubbed his back and went to look at the expensive machinery. He found an infusion engine, model VIII. The best type, has nearly a million plus parts (1,523,834 to be exact) and could be sabotaged with ease. It would take them a month to find out what happened. He thought a second, if he disabled the thruster the ship would either list horribly or go into gimble lock, and that would prove impossible to get anywhere. Gimble lock was when the thrusters went out and the ship (the weight placement played a cruscial role) chose a random center of gravity and spun on that one piont, when that happened the gravity changed constantly going from the floor to the wall and increasing and decreasing. It was enough to make anyone heave. He'd have to knock out all of them at once.  
  
He climbed the ladder and was careful not to slip. He started to seek out all the other thrusters. He was formulating a back-up plan too, if the thrusters plan was scrapped he'd gain access to the gravity controlls and mess with them. He decided to turn the gravity up to three atmospheres, so that everyone who wasn't as strong as him would barely be able to move. Or maybe turn it off and let them float in no paticular dirrection. He snickered as he pictured the doctors floating arround trying to dodge acid pools floating through the air.  
  
He found out that the thrusters were aligned in a circular pattern. There were six in all. Too many to get to before the ship went into gimble lock. He'd have to go to the atmosphere and gravity controll room. As he stuck to the ceiling and traveled to the AVC room he felt something wierd. He couldn't tell what from the roof. He came across a pipe that blocked his way, he couldn't climb over the greasy surface. He aimed for the opposite wall and jumped. He planned on the arc of gravity to get him there, but was interrupted by the sudden change on garvity. He hit the floor and bounced to the wall where he clung. The gravity had been turned off. Then it returned. He fell to the floor.  
  
He scrambled up the wall again. "Sorry, the power core had a flux." said a disembodied voice, almost robotic. "Should have warned us before that happened." 626 muttered. He continued the route to the center. Bofore he entered the door, that message hit him. "Core flux." he said quietly. Now being 626 and knowing all about quantum mechanics and neutratic cellular arrangement he had another plan. Now he had to find the primary core.  
  
* * *  
  
"He eats more than every doctor and scientist whole damn space station!" Skeff shouted. "And we still don't have the samples we need to continue the research." He yelled to Darfinis. Both were sitting in a room on the space station that was ornately furnished. "We have to wait for the right time." Darfinis said calmly. "Wait? For how long? Any more time we'll have to give an excuse for the rapid consumption of food!" Skeff sighed. "Give me two days." Darfinis said. "Two days it is then, any more and I take over." Skeff reasoned. "Fine, two days." both men shook hands. Darfinis left the room. Skeff waited untill he was sure he was gone, than pulled out a mini cell-com. He dialed a number. "Yes......... this is him..........In two days I'll need every soldier we can squeeze on the space station............. Yes that one in space." he smiled and clicked the cell off.  
  
* * *  
  
There was no rush, she now knew what she had to do. 327 slowly accumulated all the needs for the trip. She had planned this for a day now. While waiting for the ship to be ready she got a map on the space station and plotted a course there. She'd take Jumba's small space cruiser, it was fitted with every thing needed for docking with a station. She had six federation blasters stuffed in a small basket, two for her and the rest for 626, if he was able to carry them. Now she waited for night.  
  
*  
  
Midnight came and went. 327 snuck out the door to her room and headed for 626's room, to get some last second supplies. She approached the door. 'What am I doing?' she asked herself. 'Going to get 626.' she remimded herself. "I bet the door squeaks." she whispered softly. She pushed, the door squeaked. 625 stirred in his bed. She froze, when he didn't make any more movements she approached the locker in the rear of the room. Slowly she pulled the latch, it swung open quickly, she stopped it before it hit the wall. Inside were four uniforms, and two guns, very big guns. She grabbed the biggest gun and two uniforms. She turned quietly to the door.  
  
She lugged the gun and the basket into the small ship. She set the basket and gun on a set and strapped them in. She stuffed one of the uniforms into the basket. She slipped into the other one. It was a little baggy and hung all over the place, but oh jeeze was it comfortable, no wonder why he didn't take it off. She shoved two blasters into the pockets and ran to the cockpit. 327 jumped into the pilot's seat and ran throught the check list. Engines, fuel, guns, back up power cell, landing gear, all ok. The pink alien started the engine and raised the ramp that lead to the starry night sky, clear as any other night. She gunned the engines and shoved it past drive and into 'whoop ass' as she called it. The ship shot off into the night sky with a great ammount of velocity. She set the course for the space station in the middle of nowhere. It would take nearly three hours to get there.  
  
* * *  
  
He leapt into his bed just before the alarm clock on his small night stand rang. He had been awake for more than 36 hours before, it was easly , but got difficult when he started to approach near 60 hours. He'd grab some sleep then act normal. He flopped down on his bed and fell asleep before he had time to turn off the lights.  
  
*  
  
He awoke two hours later and felt partially regenerated. He looked over to find a tray of food. He knew what this meant, it was getting close to when they wanted some blood and other samples. He reminded himself to watch his back and act normal. He ate the food and went to the library where he was learning all the planets and solar systems.  
  
* *  
  
Darfinis knew something was up when General Skeff was happy and seemed high. He started to have his doubts about him. Darfinis was heading to 626 room to talk about when he needed the samples. His wrist com rang. It was his aunt, as he expected. "I'm half way through the inspection Alkaldia." he said. "Good, except one thing, we need you to delay the inspection and get ot the meeting." she said. 'What? There was no meeting in my scedule.' "Judging by your expression I need to explain this. There was an emergecy meeting called about the trade embargo between Zenon I and Givistor. I expect you'll be here." the com turned off. This put a major delay in his plan. He sighed, that would have to wait.  
  
Skeff watched as Darfinis boarded his cruiser and shot of to Turo. An evil grin spread across his face. He picked up the cell com and dialed.  
  
* * *  
  
It was approaching dark. 626 headed for his room, it had been a long day and now he was really tired. He walked down the hall. No doctor he passed gave him a dirty look of one of hatred, thay were wall peaceful and happy, now that spooked him. Tomorow night he'd make his escape, and with the explosives he'd placed he had to. They were set to go off in one day and three hours, he had nearly fourty three hours to escape. There was no way he could get to the bomb and defuse it if he had to. He would escape or he would die. It was that simple.  
  
The door opened to the white room. He saw a cup of steaming something, after a long day he needed a drink. He slugged the whole thing and set the cup back down. Now he would wait untill midnight then get to the controll room. After thiry minutes of waiting his stomach growled. He walked to the toilet set up in a corner. He felt as if he would throw up. He stumbled to it, barely waking it. He realized it wasn't his stomach, that drink was drugged, and in past tests Jumba did on him his stomach heaved from the stuff. He slunk to the floor and blacked out.  
  
* * *  
  
"Keep those trigger fingers itchy." the squad commander said. "If he drank that stuff he should be blacked out by now." The members of the squad were nervous, they knew what happened to the last assault team. "Go." The commander kicked the door in and swept the area. He rapidly searched the area and found no alien. A more in depth search was needed, he hoped it was knocked out. He found him laying besides the toilet. "Come in controll." "Go ahead team 1" Skeff said. "We have the alien, and he's knocked out too."  
  
Skeff supervised the moving of Experiment 626 into one of the medical bays. With Darfinis out of the way he'd gotten the soldiers up earlier than expected. He watced as the soldiers lay him on the table. A nearby doctor administered some tranquilizer and left. Skeff personally ran the fuser over the metal cuffs, twice, to make sure they were secure. Then they left the room. In thirty hours the doctors would begin the operation to retrive some samples and hopefully break Jumba's coded DNA.  
  
* * *  
  
The meeting was short, really short. He had plenty of time to mosey arround before he could get back up to the space station. He got in his personal transporter and rode off into the jungle outside the city. After a thirty minute ride and seven security checkpoints he drove up on the mansion's drive. He parked the red transporter in the huge garage beside all the expensive ships, and walked inside through the door.  
  
Inside he was greeted by a long time friend, Zri. Any one would be astonished by what they saw, especially if they knew Zri was dead. And he was dead, this was a replicand, a mirror immage. While replicating, or cloning, had been banned except for on endangered species only, Darfinis Maurader went against that rule. The two aliens walked down the hall and turned into an elevator hidden in the wall.  
  
"Is the facility on Pitstov ready to accomodate the experiment?" Darfinis asked. "Yes, all the preperations have been made. We'll have all of our staff working overtime to meet the two day goal. By the way, will the sample be tissue, or a living model?" Zri said. "Depends, If experiment 626 doesn't co-operate we'll have a living model, if he does we might get some blood samples." Darfinis explained. Zri gave him a grave look, "It would be better if we have the living sample, incase of some accident." Darfinis knew exactly what he meant. "Has he asked for anything out of this galaxy?" Zri questioned. "He has requested nothing yet, I think he wants to wait untill the last minute." Darfinis replied. Zri reached onto his desk and took up a folder and handed it to Darfinis. He looked at the report. Thirty three chambers. Not good. He wanted atleast one hundred by the time the month was out. It takes a week to fully clone and organize the cell structures. He set the folder down. That was all he wanted to know.  
  
He climbed back into his cruiser and sped off. He had a few hours untill he had to get back. He hoped his replicand was doing a good job of impersonating him. He had concidered a replicand for sometime, and finally agreed. Now he hung back and the replicand took over, just for a while. When he had the army of experiments he could finally get where he wanted, the seat of power. 


	15. You Only Live Twice

You Only Live Twice  
  
"I you want to kiss the sky, better learn how to kneel. On your knees boy." - U2  
  
Five hours, Damn! 327 had been delayed five hours because of thruster problems. She emmerged from the engine compartment, grease all over 626's borrowed suit. She looked down at it. "He won't be happy." she said in disgust. The pink alien went to the cockpit and re-started the engine. It roared to life. "Yes!" She punched the accelerator to make up for lost time. The station was another two hours away.  
  
10 hours untill detonation.  
  
* * *  
  
The replicand Zri was to lead the operation, or autopsy if you will, on Experiment 626. He was to extract tissue samples on every organ in his body. Then they would dispose of the dead body, leaving it in the vaccuum of space to freeze and melt due to the sun and shadow. They would then ship the samples to Pitstov's secret lab and the process of decoding and cloning would begin.  
  
After his meeting with Darfinis he had a quick dinner and boarded a space cruiser bound for the space station. He carried a small suticase filled with instruments the station didn't have. He hoped, for the life of him, that the autopsy would go fast, then he might get the required ammount of cloned experiments on time. He didn't say anything to the gaurd and walked aboard. He sat down in a deserted seat, across from the other scientists in the passenger area. The ship's doors closed and it took off into the late night.  
  
*  
  
After the one and a half hour trip, the large cruiser cicrled the station, waiting for clearence to land. 327 watched as the ship waited. She hadn't found a way inside yet. She was hoping the ship in front of her was the answer. Now she was in the rear, so that she wouldn't be detected on radar. The jets fired, she did the same. She just followed for a minute, untill she saw the doors close behind her. Then she peeled off from the rear and went for the nearest object she could find. She piloted the ship behind a cruiser and waited.  
  
After nearly an hour of waiting she was sure the ship was done unloading and resupplying. She engadged the magnetic strips on the bottom of her small ship. The magenets hit the metal on the inner hull and made a horrible sound. She cringed, hoping no one would hear it. She stole a glance at the pannel, there was little oxygyn outside. She hoped there would be a maintnence door somewhere.  
  
The door hissed open and the pressure equilized. She breathed slowly, trying to conserve her air. 327 had the huge gun slung across her back and the blasters in her pockets. The extra suit was in a small backpack. She crawled along the bottom of the ship and onto the inner hull of the docking bay. Realizing she only had a few minuted bofore she ran out of air and had to breath the air in the bay she scanned the area, looking for a door. She found what she wanted, a door marked maintenence on the bottom of the floor. Quickly she scurried down the incline and toward the door.  
  
She opened the door and dropped inside. 327 hit the pressurize controll, and the outside air started to dissapate. She breathed fresh air, it wasn't that fresh. It had a scent of metal, like the tinny taste, like from milk in a can. Hoping she wouldn't have to shoot anyone as she crawled up onto the ceiling when the door slid open. She noticed several gaurds with riffles watching as the doors went open. She wanted to avoid killing for anything, and if she needed to it would be with 626 by her side. The gaurds thought the door opened from the power flux, the station was having alot of them.  
  
She slipped into one of the vents in the room and noisily slipped off into the metal tubes. 327 didn't even know where to start, so she was looking for two things. One was a controll room of some sort, the other was someone talking about 626 and whatever they were going to do with him.  
  
5 hours untill detonation.  
  
The pink alien was not so pink anymore, or maybe I should say the orange uniform wasn't so orange. 327 had been crawling arround in the dusty vent for hours. She hadn't heard or seen any evidence that 626 was here. She was checking the last room on that level, she had run out of levels to search. The pipe she was going through ran above a corridor. She could barely hear the voices through the insulation on the outside. She shuffled to the nearest vent to listen. " -e should start soon." she heard. She reached the vent. "Mr. Darfinis will not be hapy about your siezure of the station." That name again! She peered out the slats, she saw five gaurds and two aliens, different in race, one was tall and wore a white gown, a doctor perhaps. The other was small and wore what appeared to be a suit from some millitary, medals and all. "I've moved the scedule up fifteen hours, you will start in a few minutes." the one with medals said. The one in white was suprized, "What? Now? I can't, Mr. Darfinis isn't here to-" White was cut off. "I don't care about procedures, You WILL start NOW, or I will personally shoot you." The medals reached itchily for his side blaster. "You wouldn't." White said. The medals pulled the blaster out and shoved it into the White's gut. "Watch me." Medals said flatly. The White gave in, he continued, Medals and friends in rear.  
  
She was interested in what they were talikng about, and thought they might lead her to 626, it was worth a shot. After all, she was out of options. Silently she pried the grate off and put it down inside the small vent. She put the blasters away and started climbing on the roof, watching and waiting. They group walked down a white hallway and went into a room with no windows, she didn't hesitate to scurry in before the doors slammed shut. Inside there was a window that looked into another room, she couldn't see all the way in. There was a hiss and stuff sprinkled down from the roof, a misty haze like substance. 'Decontamination.' she thought. When all the stuff was settled the group opened another door. She slid in behind them.  
  
The killer suits took up a circular formation arround a table in the middle of the room. Medals watched from outside the circle. She couldn't exactly see what was on the table, it was obscured by some kind of shield. White pushed a button and the shield lowered. 327 was thouroughly shocked, 626 lay on the table, cuffs bound him. He seemed to be knocked out, some drug or something. "For the first part of the procedure we need him awake." White said, holding a syrenge full of a redddish liquid. "I any thing should go wrong, the tapes will catch it." He pushed the liquid into the 'dead' experiment. "Three minutes." White whispered.  
  
327 was formulating a plan in her head. When 626 awoke she would strike, shooting the bonds from the table and then raining hell on the killer suits. She was sure 626 wanted white to himself. The remaining seconds were tense, she was ready to blast anything into oblivion. She watched as 626 slowly came through.  
  
His head was afire, he couldn't think strait. Last thing he remembered was being in the room with all white. He felt like this time was the end, and he was going to die. He opened his eyes, the firts thing that came to mind was 327, he hoped she would someday learn the truth about him. His vision was foggy, being semi black and white wasn't a help either. "Welcome to hell." he heard some one say. No, that was impossible. He swore he heard Zri's voice, can't be, he's dead. "The last remaining hours of your life will be pain filled and then you will die slowly. I will pull out your organs, while you are still alive. No pain killers, no anesthetic, no nothing. You will endure what you have made every on else feel." There was a menacing laugh. No, He watched as Zri died in a shower of flames, he saw the ship break apart. There was no way he was alive now. Color filtered through. He saw a pink spot on the ceiling and passed it off. He heard the tinkle of tools and new it was the end. The fuzz faded, he saw the pink spot was orange in some areas, a dust color orange. "Ready the laser." The voice said. The fuzz was all gone, he now saw 327 on the ceiling. His mind was going slow. What was she doing here? Had she been following him and was caputred and put under mind controll. Things got faster when he felt the counter effect for the tranq go through his heart, then pump through the rest of his body.  
  
He hoped that 372 was not a illusion or hoax. The swivel mounted laser got closer. He looked over, it was Zri, How? He watched as the alien punched a code to operate the laser. The tip glowed red. He was starting to sweat, '327 do something.' his eyes said as he looked at her. She had a cold look in her eyes, almost a dead zombie look. Nothing he could do now would save himself, he closed his eyes and waited. He was finished.  
  
4.5 hours untill detonation.  
  
The laser never came, he opened his eyes to find out what happened. He felt the pressure forcing his hands down, the cuffs were rock solid. There was an explosion from the plasma of a blaster, the restraints released their stong hold on him. He smacked the laser as it was charged, it spun carzily on the mounts, and fired.  
  
Things slowed down. The laser fired as it spun at head level for the gaurds. The laser cut cleanly through the necks as it did a 360 degree spin. The riffles fell to the floor, the soldier's following, also fell dead to the floor. Zri dodged it and slunk off into a corner. The General was short and it didn't reach his hight, he ducked down too. He saw 327 up on the ceiling, her gun right after fire, the smoke barely emmerging from the barrel. Now there was a friendly smile on her face. She threw two blasters at him, he caught both in mid air. He leaned up, things still slow, and shot the remaining straps.  
  
Everything came back to normal, regular time. He stood shakily, and buck naked. on the table, both guns at the General who was drawing his blaster. The General gave him an evil eye. "You wouldn't." he snarled. 626 didn't bother to reply, he answered with his blaster. Two neat holes emmerged in the General's head, his eyes rolled up and he fell over. 626 now turned to Zri, who was cowering in the corner. He jumped off the table and onto the icy floor. "How did you survive?, I saw the flaming mass of your ship, you died." Zri smiled, "That was my replicand, a clone." 626 saw the reason, and grinnied devilishly at him, Zri's smile melted away into a face of uncertainty. "You only live twice." 626 quoted. He pulled the trigger. The shot entered the skull between the green eyes, and blew the rear of his head out, blood and brains following.  
  
327 cried as she embraced 626. Tears rolled down both of thier faces as they hugged. They remained like this for a while, untill 327 broke the silence. "I thought I'd never see you again." she sniffled. "Me too." 626 mumbled. He looked at the blood stained ground. "We'd better get going." he stated. "Oh," 372 was reminded. "I brought you this." she reached into the back pack and grabbed the uniform. 626 grinned. "Thanks, I also see you borrowed one of mine." he observed. She looked down, "It does need some washing though." she said dis-tastefully. "Maybe they'll let us borrow their washer." he teased, know 327 had a need for cleanliness. She gave him a coquettish smile. He smiled back. "Oh, and this too." she pulled the riffle off her back and threw the backpack in a corner. She handed him the C-6. "Oh man, now we have some bargaining power." 327 looked distressed. "What is so important about that riffle?" she aked innocently. "This is no rifle, more like a cannon," he looked at it again. "With one hell of a blast."  
  
"We need to leave." 327 said. "In a minute, there is something I saw while I was poking arround the other night. Some computer files I saw looked interesting." 626 told her. 327 said nothing and followed 626. The two experiments hoped the rest of the space station hadn't heard the uprising in the med bay. 626 peerer out first, there was no one in sight. He crossed the spae between the door and the wall and looked again. He motioned 327 out, she followed what 626 had done. He was getting overconfident, they both recklessly ran down the halls.  
  
When they took the stairs to the next level 626 heard quite a bit of chattering. He scaled the door and slowly looked out the window. "Hey, 626." 327 said. "What." he whispered. "While I was in the docking bay I saw what looked like several troop transporters." she said in a confession tone. "Great." he muttered. "Which levels are the docking bays on?" he asked while staring at the aliens on the other side. "I wandered arround in the vents for nearly three hours, I lost my sence of dirrection." regret was in her voice. "Then we'd better get to the controll room." he said flatly. 626 hopped off the door and started up the steps. "This way." he called.  
  
Both of them advanced more cautiously than the last time, knowing that patrolls were scanning the hallways. 626 rounded a corner and skidded to a halt, almost hitting the partoll ahead of him. 327, unknowingly ran arround the corner and plowed righ into 626. They laned right on top of eachother, 327 made a very audile "Ooooff." the gaurds noticed it and turned. He pulled a blaster from his pocket, from under 327 and aimed it into the general dirrection of the soldiers. She saw the soldiers after she'd hit 626, both of them had no choice. She pulled a blaster. The soldiers didn't expect any resistance, they were caught off-gaurd. The two experiments only got off six rounds when the remaining soldiers fired back. 626 put one of his free arms arround 327 and rolled out of the way, back behind the corner. He leapt up, balancing 327 on her feet and he back flipped, just one of the aerobic tricks he'd learned from Zri. The soldiers had turned thew corner and 626 sailed over them. He unleashed a reign of shots on them. The soldiers dropped dead. 626 did the same thing he had done in the lab, he was foucusing on shooting and forgot he was in the air. He hit the ground and rolled, trying to recover and see what was left of the soldiers.  
  
327 didn't have time to think, she had shot the soldiers. 'It was them or me.' she convinced herself. 626 walked over, she was curious to see the face he had on. "Are you allright?" he asked. "I'm fine. But I think we've alerted all the other soldiers in the place." She looked at the dead soldiers, she didn't, it was morbid curiosity that forced her. "We're not out of this yet. Come on." he tugged at her. They both started down the hall again, this time even faster and reckless.  
  
The outside of the controll room seemed quiet. "Should we knock?" 626 kidded. "On the count of three." "What do I do?" 327 asked, surprized. "Shoot anyone who tries to wreck the computers." he said without emotion. "Three." The two rushed inside, 327 just ran arround the place, making sure no one touched anything. 626 on the other hand, shot the technicians at thier seats. He also shot all the ones 327 passed up. After the bloody massacre was over he ran to the big computer he was poking at the other night. He grabbed the thick disks he'd hidden under the tower and inserted them into the designated slots. He ran to the main key board and pushed the dead tech out of the seat. 327 found her way over to him. "That wasn't nice." she said critically. He didn't listen, he was busy putting the hacking skills to work and downloading all the files he could find.  
  
An alarm rang off. 626 tapped faster. "327, gaurd the door." he commanded. He ran into a fire wall and began hack arround. "What am I supposed to do? Shoot anyone that comes in?" she said sarcastically. "Now you're getting it." he said, tapping faster. She followed orders and watched. She heard the alarm and the constant click of the keyboard. Three soldiers shuffled inside, aparently unaware of the intruders. They didn't even notice her, why would she fire at them, maybe she could. Too late, they spotted 626. She had no choice now. The soldiers shouted for 626 to get off. "Danmit!, 327!" he shouted, the soldiers heard, there was something else in there with them. 327 cut them down, killing one and wounding two. She turned arround and gaured the door.  
  
The alarm went silent. "What was that?" 327 asked worriedly. "Me." 626 answered. "I'm almost done. Keep them off my back for a few more seconds." 327 turned to look at 626, she saw the screens that the video data was comming across. There were a good number of soldiers comming. "Done!" 626 jumped from the chair to the wall where he inserted the disks. He pulled them out and put them into his pockets. "626." 327 called in what seemed like desperation. "There are ten more comming. 626 laughed. "Ten? is that it?" he snickered. 327 knew he was hopeless.  
  
3 Hours untill detonation  
  
They weren't there yet, 626 and 327 thought it best to flle before they came. 626 lead the way to the fighter hanger he'd seen on one of the maps. He'd smashed the controlls and shot up the towers, so they wouldn't see him on the cameras. They entered the bay, hundreds of ships were lined wall to wall. There were four different types. One was a police cruiser, an orange lightly armored freighters, red hot rodded speed sloops, and then the master piece. In the center sat a highly ormored, highly armed ship. Built costom for General Skeff himself. He chose that one and climbed up the ramp.  
  
327 was busy starting the engines when a squad of soldiers showed up. 626 closed up the back and manned (or aliened) the turret bubble under the ship. He charged up the lasers, the soldier's hadn't been alerted to thier presence. It beeped in full charge, he activated the gyroscope which allowed the turret to turn easily. He grabbed the handles of the massive gun and swung it over at the soldiers dirrection. It was really a anti ship weapon, firing huge bolts of plasma to pierce the shields. He opened up on single fire. The soldiers were down from the second round. 626 didn't stop there, he continued to fire at the surrounding fighters, just to stop pusuit.  
  
Huge explosions rocked the fighter bay. Fuel tanks exploded, the extra bombs set on the floor, waiting to be loaded added to the inferno. 626 shot a container that held a newly designed magnesium. The silvery powder started on fire. The stuff was meant to burn untill it was all gone, or reached the core of a planet. It ate into the floor at an alarming rate.  
  
327 got the engine to turn on and was lifting the landing gear. She piloted the ship to the blast doors, which were closed. 626 sealed the turret bubble and entered the cockpit. He saw the closed doors. "Planning to beep and let them open it?" he asked. 327 stuck, she foze. She hadn't an excuse for them being closed. "Open the side door, I want out." 626 yelled from the living quarters. She pushed the open button.  
  
626 was out on the small side wing, he unslung the C-6. "Time for work." he kissed it and aimed for the weakest part. He fired four shots, one for each corner. Four thunks was all 327 heard. 626 dashed inside, closing the door manually. The four shots hit at the exact same time, the air shook from the explosion. The small blue balls of electrically charged plasma turned from small to huge the second they hit the door. Lightning bolted from the impact zones, the door rattled. 327 closed her eyes, the flash was intolerable. A deep thunder rocked the ship, it vibrated.  
  
626 entered the cockpit to view the dammage. The inner door was gone, the outer door had several small cracks in the frame and started to leak the air into space. "Uh..." 327 said. "Increase the forward shield, were going through." 626 grabbed the controlls and backed up in the small space. 327 twisted the knobs to tranfer the power. "Complete." 626 shoved the gear into drive and punched the accelerator. "Hold on, were going to hit something." he joked. The impact wasn't the bad, it was the sudden change from atmosphere to the crushing space that rocked the ship.  
  
"Hit it." 626 said to himself, jamming the thrusters into the red zone. "What's the rush?" 327 asked. "I planted a bomb on this hunka junk, the worst thought is is forgot how long I set it for." 327 raised an eyebrow. "We'd better high tail it outta here then." 626 commanded the ship untill they were a safe distance away. He cut the power to the engines, letting the ship stall.  
  
327 was in the private bathroom and 626 was taking a peek at the data he'd down loaded. He heard her humming tunelessly. He paged trough the files. All appeared to be scientific data collected on various plant species. "Crap, all I got was crap." he muttered. "This sucks." He paged down even farther. A red bold letter word caught his eye. He selected it. His jaw dropped, this wasn't a file itself, it was a whole program. Dna manipulations data, and artificial organs manipulations. There was in incomprehendible ammount of cellelar bi-processing and cloning. He immediately put two and two together, it all added up to one thing. The duplication of living life forms. He opened a channel with Jumba's private fax machine and sent everything he could over it, he didn't bother to tell who sent it. Jumba would probably go into a fit and demand they get back to the lab.  
  
A name whizzed by, he caught it. Darfinis Maurader, that name. 626 was beginning to connect evil to that name. So far it seemed like all his problems came from this evil man. He was convinced there was more to it than there was present, and he wanted it all. He paged through the restricted information, looking for to see if there was a plant already built to house the huge machinery described in the data. He came across a report, and opened it. It was actually a journal entry. He skimmed through untill he got to a part. "The atmosphere on Pitstov is more than suitable for the machinery, low humidity, and an all out dry atmosphere." There, now he had a name, Pitstov.  
  
He looked up everything he could on Pitstov. It was a fairly peaceful planet, with no major wars, no 'renesance' of industrial advancements, it relied on the technology of the out side galaxy. The planet was also a harbor for all the worst and evilest bounty hunters and pirates. Pirates were so outdated though, they were now referred to as smugglers. It was a planet that needed some cleaning up. 626 found some evidence on a bunker complex in the heart of the city, but he got no real leads. He began searching the records on the disk again. Hoping to find something on the facility.  
  
327 came out of the bathroom, dripping wet from the shower. She gave a weak smile as 626 looked over at her dirrection. She walked over the his seat and sat down right next to him. He put an arm arround her. "What are you looking at?" she asked. "Some files." he told her. She glanced at the screen, wait. She noticed something wierd. 'Cellular by processing?' isn't that one of the factors in cloning? "Um... look." she pointed. "Yes, yes. I know." he brushed her off. "Isn't that one of the factors in the cloning process?" Jeeze, nothing escapes her. "Yes." 626 said, aggrivation ever present in his voice.  
  
327 pulled him to the floor, and landed right ontop of him. She gripped his uniform, in a bully like posture. "I don't like your methods." It was a friendly gesture, but still trying to get a point across. "You kill everyone you meet?" She growled. 626 saw what she was stabbing at. He rolled ontop of her. "Not everyone." he said, the same way she did. "You think I'm a monster?" the question stabber her like a knife. 327 rolled back ontop. "Yes, an incredibly irrisitable monster." she whispered right in his ear. "And a hansom one at that." 626 let out a low growl. 327 giggled. 626 rolled over on his back and retraced his barbs. 327 started rubbing his back, while 626 traced imaginary objects in the carpet.  
  
"Do me a favor will you, 626?" 372 asked softly. "Hmmmm..." 626 mumbled. "Stop killing everyone you see will you." she said politely, remembering his destructive programming. "I'll try." he groaned. "There's a boy." 327 continued to scratch.  
  
626's mind was racing, he didn't know if he should go to the lab on Pitstov, or just let Jumba inform the council. The council always managed to get into everything, even solve long gone cases. If there was one thing they'd do to the lab, they'd level it. But then there was something inside 626 that said leveling the lab was his job, as an experiment programmed for destruction. He sighed, 327 would only approve of one. He picked the easiest. 


	16. Fugitives

Fugitives  
  
"Are you building or are you breaking these diamonds in the making." ~Lifehouse  
  
After watching the space station explode in a torrental mass of molten parts and various space objects, 626 powered up the cruiser and headed toward Turo. It was a long trip back, Turo was amidst the long cycle of it's yearly course, landing would be difficult. 327 hadn't ever flown a space vehicle, so 626 taught her how. She learned fast, picking up the handling and feeling the smoothness. A few hour later she was like an expert.  
  
As they closed in on Turo 626 took controll of the gunship. He carefully put the ship into orbit. He now wondered how to get back in Jumba's lab. "What is it 626?" 327 asked, noticing the look of despair on his face. "I'm thinkin' how to get back into the lab." he rubbed his chin. "We can open a door and jump." 327 giggled. 626 didn't catch the cynicism. "No, wouldn't work." He thought harder. He looked outside the ship, at Turo. "It's night there now. Hey, 327 doesn't he keep the doors to the loading bay under extra security?" "Yes, but it can be over ridden." "Can you do it?" "Yep, gimme three minutes." "Good girl." 626 patted her on the back. 327 hopped up to one of the computers along the wall and started tapping on the keys.  
  
* * *  
  
Dr. Jumba Jookiba had known success and failire, good and bad, joy and sorrow. But now he felt something else, something different. It was an empty draining feeling, part sorrow and failure. 327 had dissappeared a week after 626 was missing. Now both were gone, he doubted he'd ever see them again. Maybe what happened to 626 327 found, and met the same fate. He wanted to delay #627 for another month, just incase 626 turned up. He was sure 626 was able to handle everything that was thrown at him, he had so far. Maybe they ran off, left, as simple as that. But then why would they leave? So many thoughts entered his head that night as he tried to get some sleep, but sleep didn't come.  
  
Jumba reached over for the light switch beside his bed. He was startled when 625 appeared when the light was on. "625, What are you doing here?" "Looking." he replied. "For what, may I ask?" "I don't know, Haven't found it yet." 625 started out of the room. The light on the cieling came on, not the usual, the emergency lights. The room was cast in a red glow, an alarm rang off. "Gahhh.." Jumba groaned, he got up and headed for the controll room.  
  
Inside the main computer, where 327 usually sat, was bliking red, 'Warning, Penetration' flashed. "Oh, 327 what I wouldn't give to have you here." he mumbled. He sat down and began to click keys. The penetration was in the docking bay. He switched to the video feed. The huge bay door was open, but nothing was inside. He continued to watch as a light grew near the roof. The camera adjusted, he saw a huge gunship slide into the dock and land, the exterior lights turned off. Fear struck him, 'Had the Federation found out?' "626 where are you?!" he screamed.  
  
He watched from the otherside of the door, sweat rolling down his face. He breathed heavily. Nothing moved inside the huge battle armnament, no lights, no opening door. Nothing. It looked to be worn from a recent battle. "What's up Doc?" Jumba jumped. He turned to see 625 munching on a sandwich. "Can't sleep either." the experiment said. "Quiet." Jumba shhhed him. 625 looked confused. "There's a huge battle cruiser out there." Jumba motioned to the docking bay. "Uh... what should I do?" 625 said in alarm. "Get a gun or run." Jumba advised. "I can't shoot!" 625 whined. "Nor can you run." Jumba put in. Jumba decided to approach the vessel and see what they wanted. He opened the door and walked toward it.  
  
A ramp on the side slid out from under and made a walkway to the floor. A door hissed open, light streamed through. Jumba was waiting for the officials to step out, none came. He saw a small obscurity in the light, two actually. He swithced on the lights in the bay. He was surpized at what he saw.  
  
626, gun across his shoulder and 327 walked down the ramp, hand in hand. He couldn't believe what he saw. "626 is that you?" he asked. 626 looked down at his uniform, "Yes, I haven't changed, have I?" Now that 626 was safe he started his 'fatherly' routine. Jumba expression changed, he now looked crossly at him, "Come inside you two have alot to explain."  
  
Jumba led the two experiments into his private office. He asked them to sit, both complied. He took a bottle of wine from the cabnet to the rear of his desk, popped the cork, and poured a glass. He swirled it before tasting. 626 got uneasy, sitting quietly was never his forte`. 327 however had learned patience, and sat unmoving and watching Jumba. Jumba set the glass on his desk. "Start from the beginning." he said.  
  
As amazing as the story was, Jumba couldn't believe that Darfinis' hand reached as far as it did throught the galaxy. If Darfinis really did get he hands on 626 that would mean the certain fate of the entire Council and whatever galaxies it extended into. 626 related the events with incredible detail, Jumba drooled at the immence ammount of data that was on the station. 626 handed Jumba the disk he'd made. Jumba asked for 626 and 327 to go do something while he had some private time. When the door slammed shut Jumba slid the disk into the computer. He had a grin like a schoolboy on his face. The screen flashed, his expresion changed. His jaw dropped.  
  
* * *  
  
"It seems like every time we try to get that 626 one of our assets gets blown to pieces. First the ware houses on Chenadiss, then Base under Grevold, then the the Space station. If he doesn stop we could be out of business forever. He also learned that some one downloaded a majority of the data, but that would help him find the ones who took it. There must be a weakness, everyone has one, if he doesn't, he perfect." Darfinis sighed. He pulled a small cellink he always carried. He dialed a number. "Hello. Charlz...... Yes it's me......uh-huh....... Yeah, Listen. I need you to do a job. Get your best hackers, I'll call you later and tell you what for. You have three hours." He hung up and went to pour a drink from the cabnet behind his desk. "Plan 'B' is in effect."  
  
The glass clinked as he poured the liquid. He took a long sip and sighed. He set the glass down and slumped into one of the chairs facing his desk. Darfinis shook his head to clear it. He began thinking. "Ok." he said to himself. "When they run, I'll tighten the net. If they get caught, I'll still get 626. Either way he's mine." Darfinis picked up the cell again. He made another important call.  
  
* * *  
  
Jumba was amazed at the enormous wealth of data on the disk 626 had copied. There was enough stuff to keep him busy for the next eight years. He'd first use some of the money he got via 327 to expand the lab and fix up Zri's old part of the complex. Then he would spend months on the cloning process, then put his knowledge in cloning non-organic objects. He pulled up a dirrectory in the computer and looked up who Zri left his lab to. He found what he wanted. When he saw the name he felt a stunning sensation. The same name 626 repeated over and over in his story of what happened. He saw the picture come together. Darfinis Maurader, he owned and built the entire complex. He was also the investor in hundreds of other scientific researcher parties, many Jumba didn't recognise. He pushed back in the chair and sat there for a second.  
  
Jumba grabbed the disk and ran to one of his labs. He flicked on the lights and pulled up a rolling chair and sat at an x-ray machine. He slid the disk under the scanner and turned it on. He flipped the disk over and over, looking for a tracking device of some kind. He breathed a sigh of relief when he found none. "Jookiba, you gotta cool it." he said to himself. "You'd think the whole Federation was after you." He picked up the green disk from the scanner and returned to the controll room.  
  
* * *  
  
There was a knock at the door. Darfinis opened it. He was greeted by the face of his friend. "Is this all?" he asked. The alien outside replied, "All my others are off on vacation." Darfinis opened the door all the way. A warm smile crossed the tall alien's face. "Nice to see you again, Charlz." he embraced his friend. "Nice to sse you too." Charlz mumbled. Darfinis let go of him. "What ya got for me tonight?" Charlz asked. "Come inside and I'll explain." Darfinis motioned. The alien in a synthetic leather coat carring a briefcase walked inside the small room. He noticed several distasteful couches in different stages of destruction, messily strewn arround a Stellar-reciever. (t.v.) He followed the tall alien into a back room. The ornately dressed Darfinis didn't seem to fit in to this shabby hell-hole.  
  
"Take a seat." Maurader waved. Charlz looked at the decrepit couch. "I've seen sewers cleaner than that couch." he whined. "Unfortunately my base has been confiscated by the council for 'just a quick look for forensics'." Darfinis huffed. "Just show me where to plug in and I'll begin." Charlz started to unzip the suitcase he carried. "It's longer than that, I'll start at the beginning."  
  
Darfinis started his story of gatting his hands on the illusive Experiment 626. He included the destruction of the little creatre in great detail. He also related what he planned to do after he got the data Charlz down loaded. Charlz was amazed, surprized and dumb founded.  
  
"Let me get this straight. You want me to get into this Doc's computer and download all the evidence that this thing exists. Then you plan to use the data to blackmail him for this infernal experiment. And what if he doesn't give in? I heard Dr. Jumba is a hard nut to crack." Charlz reasoned to Darfinis. Maurader smiled. "Every nut cracks under a different ammount of pressure." He said philosophically. "Whatever floats your boat." Charlz mumbled. He plugged the cable into the wall and turned on his computer. " Hyper Mk6 processor, insomniadic Hd drive at nine million rpm a second, max." Charlz grinned. Darfinis was impressed by the computer jargon, but his expression didn't show it. "Get in, get cracking, get out." Darfinis snarled at him. "Ok." Charlz tapped at the keys.  
  
* * * Two Days Later * * *  
  
Jumba gave 626 and 327 some time to recooperate before returning them to usual duties. 327 was glad to return to the computer, where there was no bullets she had to watch out for. Jumba asked her to send messages to all of his asociets that he had a gunship for sale. She knew that kind of thing would go fast. Her hunch paid off, nearly three hours after she'd put the ship on the mainstream she had three potential buyers. She paged through the messages, two of Jumba's closest friends, the other was an anonmous. She sceduled the unkown one first, and sent a message to meet Jumba in the docking port in three hours.  
  
626 on the other hand had no sceduled tasks. He was always on the go, moving this, fixing that and in between, visiting 327 whenever she wasn't working. The Gunship he'd stole was now his present project, get it back into factory specs. He bagan by replacing the old parts in the engine room.  
  
The core presented a problem, it was three years over due. The core in each ship and a life of usage, any where past that and it would be useless. The blue experiment peered into the window gauge, used to tell whenever the core needed a change. The yellow substance glowed and illuminated the whole engine area with an eerie glow. He crawled over to the small door that it would eventually come out of. Removing the core required alot of training and careful precision while removing it. He knew all the steps of caution. The core generated antimater, which was harnessed to run the drive pulses. He saw the small cabnet mounted by the door, inside was two protective suits. He ignored them. The door hissed open after he'd punched in the engine code. He flipped down a pair of goggles to protect his eyes while going in.  
  
The spherical chamber glowed brighter than outside. He moved to the center, where a clylindar sat. Wires and hundreds of different colored tubes ran out of a lid and into various parts of the ship. He took one of the keys from a keyrack on the wall. 626 slid the key into the hole. The lid hissed when the key was turned. He squinted at the light and proceded forward. Inside the small chamber was a ball shaped orange nucleous, the heart of every ship. 626 threw all caution into the wind and grabbed the fist sized ball with his unprotected paw. The orange ball turned white hot, from the change in location.  
  
626 walked out of the ship and put the ball into a nutrelizer Jumba put in the wall. He flipped the switch, the machine hummed, the ball lost all it's color and shine. An alarm sounded, a short one. 626 flipped up the goggles and rested them on his head. He opened the door and retrieved the dead core. It was now a lifeless rock ball, what it once was before the planet infused it with the life it once had. He decided to save the ball, just because.  
  
626 was walking back to the ship to install the new core when Jumba walked through the door he'd been watching from the other night. He stopped and looked at 626. "626, took out the old core, I supose?" he said. A grin crossed the little blue alien's face. "Yep, it was easy." Jumba couldn't help but chuckle. 626 didn't see what was so funny. "What?" he asked. Jumba managed to stop laughing. "Next time, 626, at least wear your combat suit." Jumba giggled. He still didn't get the joke. "Go look into a mirror." Jumba wheezed out, he craked up again. "I will." 626 said, trotting off to find a mirror.  
  
He remembered seeing one in the bathroom. He opened the door and went to the mirror. He scaled the sink and looked into the mirror. At first nothing obvious was present, he looked over himself from bottom to top. He then looked at his eyes. Something was amiss. The usual light blue ring was only present arround his eyes, less than what was usually there. There was a perfect circle arround them. Before it teneded to look like a rounded triangle, very rounded. He then looked up at the goggles. He smiled. The core had flash burned him, turning every inch that wasn't covered by the goggles a very dark blue, almost black. He then turned arround, yep just like he suspected. Except for the front, where the core radiated it's light, was fine. 'Jeez.' he thought. 'Now I look like an over done fillet. Well done in the front, but raw in the back.'  
  
He took a pause to grab a suit from his room and then went to install the new core. The new core was easy to install. He repeated the removal process back wards. He finished up and looked down at his suit. It was black. He whipped his head arround as he heard voices comming from inside the landing bay. He'd never heard these voices before, he walked to the door carefully.  
  
He saw Jumba outside the ship talking to a huge charactor. The tall greyish alien looked somewhat like a shark from Earth. He was indimidating to look at, nealy three meters high, and his arms bulged from the extensive workouts, not some one to mess with. His eyes seemed to be empty and cold, blinking occasionally. Both were laughing, so he dicided that they were friends, and went to join them. Jumba noticed 626 had approached and changed his attitiude toward the conversation. "And would the Captain like to view the ship?" Jumba asked the tall alien. "Indeed. I am short on time, make it quick." he said. "Who might this be?" the tall figure added, pointing to 626. Jumba turned red, and thought fast. "Uh, this is my hired hand. Master mechanic, six-, uh, Sixven." he explained, hoping that was enough to convince the sharklike alien. 626 snorted. "The tour?" the tall one asked. "Oh, yes. Right this way."  
  
Jumba led the way up the gangplank, the Capt. ducked under the small bulkhead, 626 followed both of them. Inside Jumba gave a thourough tour of the entire ship, he even explained the armnaments and the shielding. The huge alien, Jumba and 626 walked into the lounge area. 626 sat on a chair, Jumba remained standing. "This ship passed my expectations. Where did you find one in this condition?" the Capt. said from leaning against the wall. "My friend was getting rid of some of the ships in his convoy. He said they had more hours on them than he'd been alive." Jumba explained. The tall alien grinned. "Give me a week to decide." He said. Jumba led the way out of the ship.  
  
The tall alien climbed inside his personal transporter. "Wait!" Jumba shouted. The sharklike alien looked back. "I didn't get your name." The aline grinned, closed the hatch and moved to the cockpit. He rolled down the window and started the engine. "The name is Gantu, Captain Gantu." He stomped the accelerator and the ship shot out of the bay, leaving a trail of smoke. Jumba stopped hacking when the smoke was gone. "He was nice." 626 said critically. Jumba grunted.  
  
* * *  
  
The small briefing room sounded like the thunder of the German 88's. All of the occupants were waiting for the Grand Councilwoman to arrive, meanwhile they debated every kind of semantics. The minute the door opened the uproar stopped, every one dropped thier conversations. All the aliens in the room were the representitives of the major planetary systems, all had no idea why they were here. The Councilwoman strode forward, moving with the grace of a Queen and the elegance of a swan. In her three fingered hands was a dossier, thick with information collected in the past three days. A look of dead silence was upon her face as she walked out of the shadows. The approached the wooden conference table.  
  
"Dr. Jumba Jookiba." She said threateningly, letting the brown dossier drop onto the table. Every one inside the room cringed at the sudden snap it made when it hit the table. "A doctor who's scientific input and medical research has been invaluable to us in these last years. He graduated from the Scientific School of Medicine, and now leads the modern worlds in Genetics and the reproduction of dead cells. Gradtuated first in all his classes. He's not to be under estimated, ever." She paused, letting the occupants of the room digest that data. She fingered open the dossier, and flipped through the first few pages. The Council woman picked up a paper. "Three days ago we recieved a transmission of data from an unknown source. In it was personal journal entries, huge ammounts of compiled data, old medical bills, pictures. The list goes on." she looked dwn and flipped the page. "But the most disturbing of all was this." She held up a stack of paper, about six inches in thickness. "Inside are the lists of 626 'experiments'." she coined. "626 genetically created creatures. Each with a different set of distructive capabilities." The Council woman read off the list. "Right here. 'Experiment # 529. 529 was created to read minds and move objects telekenetikly. He was used to extract numbers out of random minds for bank accounts. He has been a good asset.' There is much more than what I've read. But you all get the point." She set the papers down, and looked for any reaction in the faces of her audience.  
  
"Genetic creation. Geneticly altered. Geneticaly enhanced. GENETICS, people. Tampering with the building blocks of life, manipulating them to your wish. Making something out of nothing. What were all made of, what the galaxy is made of. In some ways Dr. Jookiba is a great man. But the law draws the line at re-creating, or creating thnigs that are not meant to be. Making something merely because you can. Making a life purely for the fun of it. If you wish to read in depth, you will find Dr. Jumba has been searching for the ultimate destruction device. A thing you'd read about in doomsday novels. And he has succeded." The tall thin council woman paused to get a drink from a cup. The audience was silent, it seemed like they were enjoying this. But then all the Council heads were not chosen to make quick, jump-the-gun decisions. They thought it out and thought long and hard.  
  
"Remember nearly three weeks ago? The string of incidents that were blamed on some rouge group of anti-everything people? All these incidents had something in common. There were all pieces of the Federations chess game. The warehouses held all the old information that was taking up room in the old Senate building. The Grevold, a high class meeting building, with a secret Counter-Intelligence base that was attacked. And finally the Space Station in sector 2 of the planet. All are part of the Federation. In Dr. Jumba's journal there are records of the destrution of the three. All were recorded under experiment 626, his latest creation, as testing grounds. Except the Grevold, 626 acted alone and that was his choice of the matter. Not only does he test these things in public, they think for themselves, willingly destruct and destroy. And unfortunalty there were no pictures sent, so your guess is as good as mine in what these 'experiments' look like." She felt like she was going at light speed. Sending out all this data, when she could barely comprehen it herself. "Any questions?" she asked. Everyone looked at eachother, then her. "Continue, please." was the Senator from Mraren's reply.  
  
"I do not like the looks of this. A creature of desrtuction, running rampant and uncontrolled around the planets. At his creators will, to make it worse. Senators and Councilors, copies have been made for all of you, review the data and return here, with it in one week." She paused to looke over at Dr. Bromn, the psycologist reviewing Jumba's personal writings. He noticed he was being watched. "This Doctor is a genious. I only touched medical science, he' mastered it. He knows more that any alien ever would hope to grasp." he exclaimed. "And what is your professional evaluation on the Doctor?" the Council woman asked. Dr. Bromn put his hand on his forehead and rubbed it. "I cannot say, but he does sound like something reminiscent of Dr. Frankenstien. Other than examining him myself I cannot pass judgement." he sighed. The council woman sighed. "I fear that Dr. Jumba will test experiment 626 on a planet itself, possibly decimating all the inhabitants. We cannot allow this. That is all I have to say. I will see you all in one week. You are dismissed."  
  
*  
  
His plan was working perfect. Now all he had to do is sit back and watch the fireworks. Then when the time is right, strike.  
  
* * * Three days later * * *  
  
This day started out as usual. Wake up. Put on combat suit. And see what Jumba wants. Then when he is finished, go see what 327 is up to. Yep. Routine. And he was getting sick of it. 626 actually enjoyed the feeling of waking up and wanting to see what would blow up in his face that day. But things had quieted down since the space station ordeal. 626 knew that he would once again be thrown into the world of perpetual chaos as he so loves. Either the chaos would come to him, or he would make the chaos. But he remembered the promise he made to 327. He loved her so much he would prove that he could keep a promise, even if that means not doing what he was meant to do. It drove him crazy, not scratching up everything, not tormenting the living daylights out of 625, and the list goes on and on.  
  
But it was worth it. 327 was happy, and when he knew she was happy he was too. He had heard rumors of the Captain Gantu's return later that day, but hadn't found the time to ask any one. It was lunch time, according to 626's internal clock anyway. So he headed for the kitchen, hoping 327 would be in. He passed the door to the auditorium. After Jumba called to see about getting Zri's old lab he was refused. Instead Mr. Darfinis put in an auditorium for presentations and meetings.  
  
The blue experiment picked up a remote sound, he stopped in front of the auditorium doors. The sound was comming from inside. He pushed the gigantic door open, only to see Captain Gantu and Jumba in what seemed to be in a heated argument. He also noticed several lizzard soldiers behind Gantu, 626 thought immediately turned sour. He approached Jumba.  
  
"Can't you see!" the big scientist shouted. "What an advantage to the millitary this could be?" Gantu responded quickly. "Advantage or not, you are still tampering with genetics." 626 cringed at this word, he could only guess what Gantu was talking about. "Besides the fact that they are that way, do you think the millitary could be interested in my experiments?" Jumba pointed out. Gantu sighed. "No, Dr. Jumba. I couldn't." Jumba stuttered. "B- but can't you even consider it?!" "No. Dr. Jumba, this is your only warning. Cease all experimental creations. Or you will be arrested under Galactic law #2326547.2." "Yes, yes. I understand." Jumba groaned. "I'll be back in one week." Gantu gave a toothy grin and left the auditorium.  
  
626 looked to Jumba for answers. Jumba saw him. "Don't even ask." he moaned. "And why not?" 626 asked. "You wouldn't understand." Jumba explained. "I understand more that you think I do." was 626's whitty come back. "Would you really like to know?" Jumba asked. 626 nodded.  
  
"Some how they got into everything I had and found out what I was doing. The experiments and such. Gantu didn't come to look at the ship, he came to confirm the creation of genetic life forms. Apparently he found enough evidince to sway the council. They have given me a week to distroy all my work, down to every last experiment. Or they would do it for me." Jumba told him. 626 let his ears fall, not believing what he'd heard. "You wouldn't dare." he said weakly. "That's what I told them." Jumba said, trying to comfort 626. "I have no intention of destroying my work. Or anything for that matter." "Then what are we going to do about them comming back?" 626 sounded concerned. "I plan to be long gone...." Jumba paused. "Long...gone." "Where do you intend to go?" 626 inquired. "We can seek shelter in Pitstov for a little while. Then if need be, we can move to ZenonV." Jumba answered. "I give them a week to get things on order. After one week, if I don't hear from them, we're going."  
  
"What about the others?" 626 asked. Jumba didn't answer. He scowled. 626 caught his expression. "I guess you're going to take a choice few, and leave the rest to fend for themselves?" 626 was concerned usually for himself, and no one else. But the other experiments were his 'brothers' and 'sisters'. Jumba didn't answer, he began pulling a thick cigar from his pocket and lit it. He thought about what 626 said, while blowing smoke rings into the air. "626. I nedd you to put an autopilot on the Gunship. Like a remote controll." Jumba's grim expression lightened up. 626 set out immediately.  
  
Utilizing a laser guidence system and sensors in the cockpit he could use a complicated controller to maneuver the ship arround. The controller had buttons on it for eveything. The lights, engine, stick. and so much more. It looked like a tangled mess of wires and buttons. Only 626, with the help of a supercomputer brain, could under stand it. He made minor adjustments to the ship after seeing it fly on the controller. It listed to starbord, not good. Nearly the whole day had gone and 626 was finished with the wire- less controller. Now he could pilot the ship from Jumba's cruiser.  
  
Jumba went in through the ship, taking out everything that would be of use in a dog fight, except the bubble turret on the underside of the ship. He re-routed the power through an amplifier and started installing units used to cryogeniclly freeze his experiments. He estimated the new core would keep them alive for years to come. He installed a fail-safe device, when the power core reached the point where it couldn't properly freeze the experiments it would start the unfreeze procedure, and let them out. Hopefully if that happened they would have enough fuel to get to some planet and settle there.  
  
With the modifications on the gunship done 626 walked off to find out what 327 was doing. He found her in the library, reading something on a datapad. "Whatcha got there?" he asked. "The news." she huffed. "Some one's in a bad mood." he told her. "You would be too." 626 senced there was somehting she wasn't telling him. "What's wrong?" he asked, scooting closer the where she sat. "Can I ask you a question 626?" she sniffed. "Anything." he answered. "What would happen if the Council found out what goes on here? What would happen to us?" 626 felt like he'd been hit with a rock, a big one at that. "Nothing, I'm sure." he lied. "You lie!" 327 shouted, right in his ear. 626 cringed, his ears stared ringing. "You want the truth?" "Yes." "Really?" "YES!" 327 was getting agitated. "The truth is this. Jumba would likely go to jail, or a halfway house, possibly for life. Some of the less dangerous experiemnts, X, 625, you, would be sent to a penal colony on some damned asteroid. You'd be worked on 24 hour shifts, little or no food, and likely arround five hours of sleep." He put an arm under his head, and scratched his stomach. "What about you?" 327 asked. He rolled over to her side and whispered in her ear. "After they threw me in some hell hole for months. After the daily beatings. After near starvation. After they reviewed Jumba's files on me. After they sedate me and strap me onto an examination table..." He put one of his claws right above 327 heart. "...They'd send a laser beam right here." The way 626 explained it sounded horrible. He tapped her chest. "Instant death." 327 felt tingles all over her, she shook of that thought. "You wouldn't go down without a fight." she said confidently. "They won't catch me." 626 reassured her.  
  
* * * Four days later * * *  
  
The same representatives were sitting arround the table, exactly like they did a week ago. Again they were waiting for the Grand Councilwoman to make her appearence. No sound of talking was heard, there would be alot to say later. Each member had a stack of paper in front of them. Reports, varies sizes and in different languages.  
  
The Grand Councilwoman walked out from the same door, just as she did a week ago. She stepped up to the table. "I assume you all have had some time to think." she said. Heads nodded. "Dr. Jumba's activities have been confirmed. Captain Gantu visited him a few days ago. He has confirmed the creation of genetically created creatures. A some what short investigation of the premises has been made. A full investigation will commence when the Doctor is in custody." "Wait a minute.!" a senator stood up. "Arrest him? The council has always given any one just one chance." "Senator Areni, I assure you, we have given him that chance. And he has not distroyed the experiments." the Councilwoman said. The queen from Angoir protested. "Destroy them? Even though they are experiments built for destruction, they are a life. They have a choice." "Queen Arisv. These things only live to kill. Letting them go free, and not under imprisonment or confinement will result in serious consequences." The spark exploded the fuel.  
  
Whether to bring Jumba in or not. To let live the experiments or not. To destroy all the Dr. Jumba has achieved or not. All this was a war. The room was thrown into chaos, shouts were thrown from side to side. Half were for the arrest of Jumba and slaying of the experiments. The other were for penalizing Jumba and letting the experiments live. For nealry eight hours the debate was raging on. Untill the Grand Councilwoman recieved a call.  
  
"QUIET!" she yelled. Everyone froze. Paper fluttered to the ground, dead silence. "I have a call to answer." The Councilwoman reached into her long robes and retrieved a cellink. "Hello." she answered politely. "Yes............yes...........I get you......bye." She hung up and turned to the group. "I have some bad news. The Council Elders have made a descision of ther own. It is no longer our responcibility." Groans were sent up from the crowd. "But they did give me another issue." a smile crept across her face.  
  
* * *  
  
"Captain!" the first officer shouted. "Capatin! We have some news from the Council's Elders." he reported. Captain Gantu turned arround from the battle enactment screen. "And that news would be?" Gantu snapped. "Sorry, sir. Your mission comes from the council's elders. Here are the documents." the officer handed them up to Gantu's enormous hight. "You may go." Gantu waved. The officer in the blue uniform left the room, the door slammed behind him. "What is it now?" Gantu groaned. He ripped open the folder with his small knife he always carried. "Bla bla bla......." he read past the 'Legal shit' , and 'Terms of agreement'. "Bla bla bla...............Ooo." he stopped. 'Dr. Jumba' was one of the first words on the next page. He grinned.  
  
* * *  
  
"There." Jumba said, puting the last piece of paper through the shredder. He didn't need them anyway, he backed them up on disks. He was ready to begin destroying the bodies of the dead experiments that hadn't been swiped by Zri, when the comms rang. "Who could it be now." he huffed. He picked the piece off the cradel. "Hello?" he spoke. "Dr. Jumba." the voice was as cold as ice, the person on the end of the line was also. "Captain Gantu..." Jumba drifted off. "I'm glad you know my name, you will be hearing it alot in the next few years." Gantu's voice was followed by a cruel laugh. "Is everything as the Council requested?" Gantu asked, with a sharp tone. Jumba sighed. "Captain, my experiments are living beings. They have as much right to live as you do. I cannot, no, Will not, destroy them." he told Gantu. "Well, the Council has taken that descision out of your hands. Tomorrow we are comming to do that." Gantu abruptly hung up. Jumba put the reciever down, to stunned to talk.  
  
His mind was racing, all he had worked to achieve was comming to a halt. Crashing into the ground and incenerating into nothing, and he was going down with it. But, he wouldn't let them. He would run fast and hard. With 327, who knew how to do everything on the computers, and 626, who could theororetically destroy an entire army, he would not be caught. His other experiments were the problem though. How could he keep his six hundred plus experiments alive and together? The answer hit him like a stone, preserve them. Put them into a cryogenic sleep, only to be awakened when activated. There was a nice station in the Zeta quadrant that manufactures things like that. He sighed, knowing that the days to come would be long and he would have to watch his back every minute.  
  
* * * Near mid-night. (Turo time)  
  
He thought 626 had enough sleep. He shook the sleeping experiment. 626 groaned and rolled over. "Get up." Jumba whispered. "We're leaving." 626's only responce was to grunt and cover himself with his blankets. Jumba pulled the blankets off 626 and hurled them against the wall. "Get up." He started nudge the bed. After three minutes of trying to get 626 out of bed using every profane word he knew, he just kicked the bed over. He kept his hand on the tranquilizer in his pocket, he remembered what happened the last time he did that. 626 pushed the bed off of himself and looked at Jumba. "Why'd ya do that?" he asked. Jumba could barely say a word. He had expected 626 to lunge at him. 'Destructive programming.' he remembered. But then he also remembered, 'Programs can learn.' He huffed. "We're leaving now. Well in an hour anyway. Get your stuff." Jumba told him. "Easier said than done." he grumbled. 626 had four blasters his C-III and the CH-6, also his five uniforms. Actualy it wasn't that much compared to what Jumba had packed in the cargo bay of his cruiser.  
  
"What about the others?" 626 asked, while gatherin all his stuff into a box. "All the rest of the experiments are on the battle cruiser, cryogenically sleeping." Jumba waved his tranquilizer in the air. "327?" he asked. "Destroying all the evidence on the computer." Jumba answered. 626 nodded in approval. "Haven't found 625, actually." Jumba said, rubbing his chin. "Well, he's probably hiding in my cruiser. He doesn't exactly like tranqs." Jumba left the room to mark of another item on his checklist. 626 loaded his stuff onto Jumba's red cruiser, then went to go help finish up.  
  
327 sat in the seemingly bare computer room, the mess of all the papers and the test tubes was cleaned up and gone. Only the banks of computers remained. She activated the program Jumba had told her to design years ago. It ran through the computer and deleted all the files, folders, sub- programs, and all that mish mosh. "Three more hours to go." she told herself. She had insisted that Jumba and them leave while the computer erased all the stuff. But she knew how stubborn Jumba was, 'never leave a job half done, or to the computers' was his work ethic. She hunched down while the computer erased all the files, the humming of the laser was the only sound in the room. She sighed. 10% more to go.  
  
* * *  
  
"Are you sure you want to do this?" the technician in the white coat said. "Shut off all power to the Federation's lab #4246?" he said. "Yes, I'm sure." Gantu smiled. He handed the tech the paper work from the Council. "Put him in the dark, just to panick him." The sharkish alien grinned. "Ok." the tech said. He flipped up the swtich to the controll for that sector. A passcode keypad popped up. He pressed in the long code, the pad dissappeared. He then flipped the switch, a confirmation on the monitor popped up. He clicked 'Ok'. The generators for the sector paused. There was a grinding noise. "That's allright." he told Gantu. "That's the arm switching the power to more needed areas of the city." The grinding haulted, the steady hum was back. "Reading no CFEP* to sector 4246." the tech said. Gantu smiled. "Good."  
  
* CFEP = Crystallic Fusion Energy Pulses. Similar to electricity.  
  
* * *  
  
"What the hell happened?!" Jumba shouted to 626, who was walking down the hall. "Cut the power." 626 said in a low tone. "WHAT?!" Jumba yelled in disbelief. "What about the generator? Shouldn't it be on now?" "Give it a second." 626 told him. He listened for the click of the overide. *click* "There." 626 tried to calm Jumba, who had fallen, and didn't know where he was. The lights flickered, a steady low power was running through them. Then the lit up to full strentgh. There was a crack. The light were dead. "What was that?!" Jumba grumbled. "Forgot to tell you," 626 said sheepishly. "The generator only works with a constant flow of at least 12 photons a second. If not if runs fine for a while, then blows." Jumba didn't under stand. "Blows?" he questioned. "Yep. Without a source of controlled energy, like those 12 photons, it wastes all of the energy on eight seconds." 626 said, trying to sound smart. "Giahh!" Jumba screamed. *Click* "What was that?" he said in alarm. "327." 626 answered. "How-" he stopped, 626 could see in the dark.  
  
The area was bathed in a light green glow. 327 held the portable lantern in the air. "Heard the noise." she said. "So I came back to see what was up. Oh- Jumba, the power shut off, there is still some stuff on the computer." Jumba grumbled. "Well we can't get it back on now. We'll have to destroy it." He said, looking down at 626. "Right." 626 gave him a salute and went to see what he had to get the computer with. "327, round up whatever you can find that we need. As soon as 626 comes back we're leaving." Jumba told her. The pink alien gave him the lantern and ran off into the dark hallway to do a last minute check.  
  
626 found the controll room and went to the computer. He pulled out one of the blasters he carried and removed a power cell from it. He placed the small pellet on the desk and backed away. He aimed for it and fired. It wasn't a big explosion, but enough to do the job. He smiled, then exited the room. He met up with Jumba and 327 in the docking bay. "Done." he yelled to Jumba from across the room. Jumba waved 626 to the ship.  
  
626 grabbed the remote he made for the gunship and sat in the co-pilot's seat in the cockpit of Jumba's cruiser. He flipped the power switch as Jumba started the impulse in his ship. He brough the engines online and activated the anti gravity boosters. The two ships floated in the dock. "Ready?" Jumba asked. "Just a sec." 626 said. He pulled out a small helmet, inside was a flip down camera. He seated it on his head and turned on the camera. He now saw what the pilot would if he was in the ship. "Ready." Jumba smiled. "Here we go." He hit the accelerator and the ship shout out of the bay. The gunship in close pursuit.  
  
* * *  
  
"Captain, I think you might want to see this." An officer said. "Not now." Gantu moaned. His enourmous form was laid back in a chair in his quarters, holding a glass of whiskey. "No, captain. NOW." The officer said over the intercom. "Giaghh." Gantu moaned. "Always something to ruin my night." He got up from the chair and walked to the bridge. He ducked into the low doorway that lead to the bridge. "Captain. Look." the officer pointed to the screen. Gantu saw a red cruiser being chased by a gunship. "Is that one ours?" he asked. "No. Captain, do you even know who that is?" He asked. "No. Why? am I supposed to?" Gantu said, feeling annoyed. They knew something he didn't. "He's reached the edge of the atmoshpere." said the tracker. "Who is that?" Gantu asked. "Sir, that's Doctor Jumba Jookiba." The first officer said. "Get a tracking marker on him." Gantu yelled. He watched as the two ships dissappeared. "What was that?!" he shouted. "They've gone into hyperspace." The officer replied. "Giiahh!" he shouted as he stormed out of the room. 


	17. Long time

Long Time  
  
"Whatever happen to Mary?" ~ Chumbawamba  
  
Jumba set a course for the Zeta quadrant. It would take them days to even get near the place. Then there were the patrolling starships, massive cruisers with all the luxuries of home, and a millitary base. Soldiers, externally mounted cannons and laser guns. IF anf if they got past all that, then maybe they would have a fighting chance of finding a remote planet to settle down on. That is, if things happen accordingly.  
  
Jumba looked over at 626. The blue experiment was concentrating on flying the ship following close behind. Sweat rolled down his face and onto his drenched suit. He was under an impressive ammout of pressure. He was constantly scanning the instruments through the small display screen. If anything would go wrong the ship would just die and float in space. Or even worse, explode. But that wouldn't happen, he'd taken measures to prevent that.  
  
Jumba got up and went to go get some coffee. He accidently bumped a clipboard off the dashboard. He cringed as it hit the floor. He immediately looked to 626. He was relieved to see him still contentrating. Then from the back of the ship came a clinking noise. 626 twitched his ear in annoyance, but said nothing. Jumba turned to see what 327 was doing back there.  
  
327 was on a chair, putting coffee mugs into the cabnet by the dishcleanser. The cups clinked again. Jumba noticed even 327's ear subconciously ticked at the sound. 'Must be too high pitched.' he thought, remebering the experiment's sensitive ears. He continued to watch her put the mugs away. When she was finished he made a motion to let her know he was there. 327 looked over at him. "How long will it take?" she asked. Jumba thought for a second. "A week, at least." Jumba told her. 327 sighed. "At least HE isn't here." a slight grin crept across her face. "Who?" Jumba asked, hoping that she didn't mean 626. "Him, you know, bread for brains." she sounded as if she was talking to an idiot. Jumba still didn't get the drift. A puzzled look remained on his face. 327 rolled her eyes. "As smart as you are I can't believe you haven't figured it out yet." she paused, to give him some more time. Jumba still remained dumbfolded. "625! Hello! Would Dr. Jookiba get with the program!" 327 yelled. "Qiuet! 626 is trying to concentrate." Jumba shushed her. "Oh." 327 said in a low tone. She took a remorseful pose, letting her ears drop. Jumba finally caught up with the comment. He gave a low chuckle. Then he stopped. "Speaking of which, I didn't see 625 since we started packing three days ago." Jumba thought aloud. "I hope we didn't leave him." 327 said sarcastically. "327." Jumba said acusingly. "What?" she couldn't help but let a grin slip out. Jumba let out a low sigh. 327 snickered.  
  
Jumba knew 626 and 327 would always have a place for a permanant disliking for 625. That was life for them, and would always be. He looked up at the ceiling, and saw that the over head storage was locked, and not just shut. "327, why are these locked?" he pointed to the over heads. "Oh- I put some of the food that wouldn't fit in the cabnets up there. All the stuff in the jars and the extra bread." the pink experiment said, while re-arranging the boxes and cans that were in the cabnets. She finished arranging the suff and found out that there was more room that way. "Jumba, could you hand me the extra loaves of bread, I made some space for them." "Why not." was Jumba's reply.  
  
He reached up to open the door to the over head. He turned the handle and pulled it out. The door slowly slid down. There was a grinding noise and the door stopped. It was so far up Jumba couldn't see inside. He reached up to grab the handle again. The door snapped off and a mountain of food came tumbling down. Jumba moved out of the way and let the jars and boxes crash to the floor. He waited for the dust to settle then started picking up the stuff.  
  
Out of nowhere he heard something. "What ya do that for?" The voice seemed to come from nowhere. "626, did you say anything?" Jumba called up to the front. "No." came the reply. Jumba turned to 327. She shook her head. "Ha ha. You all have forgotten about me!" It said again. Jumba now looked at the moving pile of food on the floor. The pyrimid of food was shaken to the floor. In the midsts sat an aquamarine figure nearly two foot tall. 327 recognised it, and put a paw on her head and wispered. "Oh gods, help me." Jumba laughed. 625 raised his arms like in victory. "I am invincible!" he announced, followed by a long laugh.  
  
327 turned to Jumba. "Give me the tranquilizer." she held out a paw. "Why?" Jumba asked suspiciously. "It's either him or me." She said in a determined manner. "Oh, he not that bad." Jumba tried to pursuade her. "Yeah, your right, he's not that bad, when he's been tranqued." She sighed. Jumba gave her a stale look. "I'm beginning to think some of 626 is rubbing off on you." Jumba sighed. 327 didn't know how to take that comment, she just grunted and returned to re-packing the supplies.  
  
With 625 present on board and not in the gunship folowing behind, Jumba had to quicken the pace to the Zeta quadrant.  
  
Three days into the voyage and 626 hadn't taken any time to rest. He just sat in the copilots seat and flew the gunship. Jumba knew he was pushing himself to his limits, and ever time he begged for 626 to get something to eat and rest the blue experiment ignored him. 626 continued to pilot the vessel, day in and day out. Jumba didn't like the situation. He was a good doctor of medicine and genetics, and what he saw with 626 went against all laws of science. 626 pereverence continued for the rest of the journey, he never stopped to take a break, he kept comming.  
  
* * * One week later * * *  
  
Jumba had passed the boundry marking the Zeta quadrant, the long haul was almost over. So far they had not run into any ship of any kind. Although he suspected something was up. They were near to the space station, but not out of trouble. By now the word had been spread to all police and bounty hunters, Jookiba was a wanted man. Cruisers, Starfleets, and Pirate vessels were deployed. They performed scans and ran tests looking for the red cruiser. All resulst turned out negative, but still they pursued. The hunt was on.  
  
Jumba steered the massive crimson red cruiser onto an asteroid out near the edge of the solar system, so he wouldn't be detected by and passing ship. 626 landed the gunship near the red cruiser, but with all the guns pointing at it, to make any passing ship thing otherwise on landing there. As soon as both ships were settled and turned off Jumba needed to talk to 626.  
  
The huge, burly scientist entered the cockpit and looked at 626 who was laying in the co-pilots chair, staring up at the ceiling. Jumba noted he looked dazed and confused. "626, how do you feel?" Jumba inquired, just for his medical records. "Take a guess." the experiment said weakly. "Besides the obvious." he added. "But this-" Jumba started to speak when 626 cut him off. "I've been awake for nearly two weeks, with nothing to eat of drink. I have a headache the size of a Maru`rachadin {a huge lizzard native to Tenenex} I just want some sleep. And maybe something to eat." 626 said anrgily. The small blue alien fell out of the seat and slowly made his was to the aft of the ship. Jumba contributed his testiness to his lack of sleep. He didn't want to push any further, fearing 626 would loose controll.  
  
626 took several pills for his aches and downed several sanwiches, courtesy of 625 who was throw aside by the zombified 626. Then he retreated to the lounge area and sat on one of the couches. He groaned at the growing numbness of his limbs, his eye lids felt like lead and his combat suit which was wet with perspiration was making him shiver. He laid his head on one of the pillows and fell asleep.  
  
* * *  
  
On the observation deck of the TridentIII stood a tall alien, nearly fifteen feet. Yes, Captain Gantu looked out at the stars, the thousand bodies of energy and life, amazed at the countless aurora and their shining luster. A small alien in a grey uniform appraoched him. "Aren't they beautiful?" Gantu said, aparrently to the air. "Sir?" the confused officer asked. "The stars," Gantu continued. "Millions of them, just there. And the diversity of the cultures on each one." he marveled. "Yes, that's nice. The council demands an update in the search for Dr. Jookiba." The officer reported. Gantu took some time to reply. The giant shark like alien turned to face the small officer. "Tell them the same thing you have been since we left port." The greyclad alien nodded and turned to the controll deck. "Oh- " Gantu stopped him. "After you relay the message, set a course for the Zenon star system." "Yes, sir." the officer replied and then continued on his way. "I have some friends who owe me." He said hushly.  
  
Gantu, now back to enjoying his solitude turned to the stars again. His expression change, his smile no longer present. Deep inside himself he felt the anger well up. He scowled at the stars. "Where are you?" he said acusingly.  
  
* * *  
  
A shiver ran up his spine as something moved in the shadows. He couldn't see it, but knew it was there. Tormenting him, using the pshchological torment to induce fear. And it was working. The civillians along the route in which he was taking stared at him, as if he was an outcast, a diseased scocial leper. The tall figure trailed behind him, he seemed to go through the civillians staring at him. He saw nothing under the cloak, blackness prevailed, it seemed locked onto him, like a demon whos only mission was to drag him down to the pits of the nine hells.  
  
He couldn't shake him, no corner he turned, no building he entered, nothing would shake his pursuer. The dark shadow pursued, seeming to walk through the walls and stalk him. He felt a cool draft down his kneck every once and awhile, letting him know that the shadow was still there, unrelenting. His heart was beating rapidly, the walls of the tall building seemed to close in on him, making him a bigger target.  
  
He began to fell dizzy the walls shook and the ground looked as if it was bubbling up. From behind him he saw a flash, than he felt a thunderous roar in his sensitive ears. He felt a tingling in his chest. He stumbled foreward from an impact of something. Somewhere near his feet there was a pool of something was growing. He peered down to see what it was. He put his paw in his chest and felt a warm sticky substance. When he lifted it to see what it is he stopped, and just stared. Blood. Then it hit him. He'd been shot, and his life blood was slowly leaking out onto the ground.  
  
He was dumbfounded, he just continued to stare at the crimson redness on his paw. He heard another loud explosion. He looked down in time to see a thin bright white bolt from a laser emmerge from his chest. His light blue fur, blood and flesh flew out, as if fired from a cannon. It wetted the ground for eight feet before stopping, covering the ground in a dark red. It was wierd, there was no feeling, no pain. He coughed. Blood started drooling from the corner of his mouth. He carried a stupified look on his face, the once ever scanning black eyes that were so filled with life were now fading, a dull hue seemed to be inserted.  
  
The blue alien fell to his knees and slowly looked arround. His paw was trying to hold in his last reserve of life, but it slowly leaked out. He slowly sank to the ground, still trying to cling to life, a life that was fading. His muscles gave out and he fell face first to the ground, into a pool of his own blood. He heard the feet of the assassin come closer. The black boots stopped right infront of his face. His eyes were still looking, for a way out, even though his body was dying. He saw the civillians standing arround him, watching him die. The mothers held back their young ones, who were so interested in watching the blue alien slowly bleed to death.  
  
The cold stare continued, the wheezing as the lungs slowly filled up with blood. Every heart beat was like a huge drum, slow and getting slower. The only thought that passed through the bleeding alien's head was, 'No, not like this.' He made one final move to save himself. He tried to get his paw to the button on his belt so that he could activate a relay to tell Jumba where he was. He weakly moved his arm, slowly. He took in his last breath. He put his last ammount of energy in it. He could feel his paw slowly inching to the button. Then everything stopped. His body went slack.  
  
The tall assassin dressed in black clothes and accesories to match the dark theme, loomed over the dead experiment 626. The pile of blood arround the dead alien was huge, more that you'd expect anywhere. He bent down and turned over the dead body, the last of the blood sloshed out onto his black gloves. He looked at the shots he'd made. "Not bad" he murmered. "First shot right above the heart." he turned 626's lifeless body back over onto his stomach, igoring the dead acusing eyes. He couldn't tell where the second shot was because it blew out his upper chest region, exposing the inner workings of the genetic monster. He looked at his last shot. The bolt took out two ribs and some of the middle spine. His face cracked into a grin. He started laughing, a low long evil laugh, stressing all the syllables.  
  
626 shot up from the seat he was on and fell over onto the floor of the cruiser. He was momentarily stunned, the dream was too real. He breathed in irregular heaves, as if in pain. He continued to lay on the floor, to straighten things out in his mind. He was confused by the dream, not knowing whether to take it seriously or not. After seeing the other dreams materialize he started to think that Jumba inadvertantly gave him some sort of pre-cog ability. Whether it was a dream or a view into the future he would remember it.  
  
He sat up in the dark. The suit that was wet with sweat before he went to sleep was dry, and hard. He looked both ways before starting out to the rear cargo bay to get a new suit. As soon as 626 started moving, he felt every muscle in his body groan and his bones crack. He paused to stretch. When he did he realized that he was the only one in the cruiser. He sniffed, to make sure. He was the only one in there. 'This might be a good thing.' he thought. He moved to the rear of the ship, to the private bathroom in the bedroom.  
  
Once inside he pulled off the stiff orange uniform and threw it into a corner. He scratched his chest and headed to the shower. Although he hated water, for recreational purposes. But he knew when it was time to take a shower, just a short one. 626 flicked on the water and waited. After several seconds of nothing he looked up. He twisted the knob again, still nothing. He growled in frustration. He gave the knob a good whack. As soon as he administered the justice the knob fell off. He looked outside the shower, to see if anyone was there. When he knew it was safe he threw the handle in disgust and reached up for the cold water.  
  
After a few minutes of cold water he dicided that it was enough. He turned the handle to the 'off' postion. He shook off, water went flying everywhere, even on the ceiling. He stepped out of the low entrance shower. There was a clang, he turned to see the other handle fall to the floor. He grunted at it, then reached for a towel.  
  
* * *  
  
Now was the time, if it was any better, to get 626. All the bounty hunters, the Federation, and the Free Traders were after Jumba. With the little ammount of credits he had, he was able to get several of the best bounty hunters to find them. His rules were simple find the doctor and his experiments, do whatever is necesarry to bring the one named 626. If it was any simpler than that it would be childs play.  
  
But Darfinis ahd seen him work. The little demon was like the plauge, all over tha place. Climbing walls, shooting up squads of elite soldiers and destroying all his assets. After reviewing some data that was recorded on 626 at the station, he realized one thing. 626 was caught up in whater he would call it. The facts were in, the numbers counted. 626 had nothing to do with any of this, it was Jumba. Darfinis now had something tanglible to go after. If he had the master, the creation will follow, unless 626 was smarted than they had predicted. But that would change.  
  
The tall thin alien stood on a catwalk over the huge complex. Maurader admired his lates accomplishment. The mammoth lab was devived into two parts, pre and post. Tons of equipment was dotted on the floor, Dna sequencers and hundreds of other machines that were escential for the cloning process. Since they had collected a small ammount of blood and hair from the base under the Grevold, things were busy. They used that dna, along with some of thier better ideas to create a clone of experiemnt 626. But to garauntee success they needed the real thing.  
  
The premature growth was fine, untill the glitch. The Dna must have been contaminated, during a regualr test the alarms went off, meaning the coded dna was breaking down. All seven crews were called in to get it under controll. They worked arround the clock to stablize the sequence. After a week of gueling work it paid off. Although at that time no present damage was visible. They checked the new sequence with the origional. What they saw shocked them, it was nearly gone, the origional code had been erased and was replaced with a new one. Now they had a real genetic creation that would be unpredictable.  
  
They watched as it mutated day by day. Different genetics revealed themselves at an alarming rate. Darfinis thought about calling the whole thing off, but it was the closest thing they had to experiment 626. And if it couldn't trace him down, nothing could. He was sure of this. And if he was wrong, and it was an uncontrollable monster, there would be no stopping it.  
  
A voice came over the speakers, "All scientists report to your stations." The scientists in white lab coats scurried down on the floor, it was almost time. They gathered arround a tall glass tube that was filled with a protien filled liquid, it was the closest thing they got to replicating Dr. Jumba's machine. There was three security personel with heavy blaster-laser riffles, just incase. Darfinis walked across the catwalks, to get a better view.  
  
Down on the ground floor, the scientists were finishing up the last minute checks. They made sure the things vials were working properly. The gaurds seem agitated, like they had a bad feeling about this thing. But then they had their weapons. The scientists had no fear, they made this thing, and now it was thiers. It would obey them.  
  
A tall scientist at a console punched a few buttons, and the protien solution started draining. The milky white liquid drained away, revealing a better view of the monster they had created. It looked disgusting, the huge eyes bulged out from the head the was supposed to look like 626's. It was a totally different creature then they origionally planned. Instead of three fett, it was a towering seven and a half standard feet, it took up most of the glass chamber. Two thick arms bulging with muscles went into a muscular upper chest, the chest slowly receded into hips then massively powerful legs. Instead of a short one colored fur theme it was a medium length and looked more like a wolf's coat.  
  
The scientists continued to watch as one of the technicians flipped switches and started the process of turning the bodily organ functions from the computer over to the beast's brain. The gaurds looked tense, sizing up thier oposition. They knew that if it got loose, there would be no stopping it from destryoing whatever it sees.  
  
Zri watched from the safety of the catwalks. As soon as there was no reply, no applause from the scientists who had worked for months to get there creation to this point, he knew it wasn't supposed to be like that. It was flawed. But as soon as they got the real deal, it would change. Down on the floor an alarm rang off.  
  
Something was wrong. Sims clicked the keys on the board to go through the errors. He pulled up a chart, the brainwave activity was off the scale. He enlarged it to show up to 900 jouels of activity. As a nervous act he looked at the beast in the glass tube. To his relief, it was still there, looking as dead as it was before. He manually shut off the alarms and sat back and sighed. The heart rate dropped, to the point where it stopped. The brain showed to be dead, no activity.  
  
The tall thin Sims ran to the tube, a medical cart clattered loudly as he dragged it over. He keyed in the code and the sealed capsule hissed open. He grabbed a pair of paddles, he set the machine at 30 joules to start. He pressed them onto the beast. The electrical pulse mad it jump. Nothing, the monitor was still dead. He picked it up a notch, to 60 joules and tried again. The body jumped again, in responce to the shock. Sism cursed and set it higher. This time 200 joules, he didn't want to lose it.  
  
He tried for the next ten minutes, but nothing helped. The beast wouldn't come back, it was dead. He sighed and threw the paddles on the cart. He cursed loudly, so that his boss, Darfinis, up on the catwalk would get the idea. He sat on a stool near by and pulled out a pack of cigaretts. The other scientists had melded away, gone back to pack. They would leave, the project was done. He lit the thin tube of tobacco and inhaled deeply. He exhaled a smoke cloud, then stopped. He heard something. A wheezing, something gasping for air.  
  
He first looked up at the catwalk, Darfinis was still there, watching, no sign whatsoever of any expression. He watched for any signs of axphixia, he breathed normally. He paused to listen. It was gone, dead silence. Whoever it was left the lab, he concluded.  
  
There was a noise behind him, a metallic noise, like a metal pan, and lots of equipment. He turned to see what happened. He saw the medical cart on the floor, the tools were scattered on the floor in a chaotic way. He walked over to the mess and began picing it up, he passed it off on a crooked wheel. Then he froze, and slowly turned to the beast. Had it..? He was relieved to find it dead as ever. He breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
"Damn." he muttered under his breath. He uprighted the cart and carelessly dumped the tools on to it. He reached for a comlink on the wall. He lifted the reciever and spoke into it. "Operator, get the hazardous waste disposal up in lab number 4A. Thank you." he slammed it back onto the cradel. He paced over to the dead beast. He leaned over the side and flicked an ash onto it. "Ya' know." Sims said to the dead thing. "None of us never like you." he said casually, as if he had always talked to it. "And when it came time to rise and shine, you slept in." He flicked another ash onto it. "Now we're gunna stick you worthless corspe into a meat grinder and turn you into someone's dinner." he said angrily. He stubbed out the cigarette on the fur of the beast, and walked off.  
  
He heard a cough, a ragged one at that. Sims twisted his upper half to look behind him. He saw a small cloud of smoke comming from his cigarette, smoldering on the beasts fur. He picked up a pitcher from the controll panel and headed for the small fire. "Told you smoking was bad for you." he snarled. He poured the water on the fire, it died out. He was ready to pull his hand back when something happened.  
  
The beasts eyelids slid opened, revealing a pair of disgusting eyes. One looked to be rotting and the other was covered with a milky white film. Sims gasped in horror. The beasts head slowly turned to look at Sims, the kneck cracked as the seemingly anchient beast moved it. Sims was petrified, he wanted to run, but he stood frozen. The beast stared with it's dead eyes. Then one of the arms reached up and grabbed his neck. He coughed. The strong and closed off his windpipe and stopped anything from reachins his brain. Things started to get blurry, but saw the beast stand up and lift him off the ground. The thing got close to his head and stared, as if contemplating killing him.  
  
By now the soldiers had been notified and filed into the room, creating a circle arround the huge beast. They aimed the powerful riffles in it's dirrection. The hairy beast had realized he'd been surrounded by men with guns and heavy armor.  
  
The thing turned to face the crowd he'd drawn, the chocking Sims still in his grip. "Put the scientist down." came a demand from one of the soldiers. He grinned, showing the soldiers his many sharp teeth. He tossed Sims like a ragdoll, he flew across the concrete floor and into a cubical with an audible crunch. He sized up the force infront of him. Ten soldiers with heavy assault riffles, the kind they had used to wound 626, only slightly though.  
  
All the soldiers were tense, they had never seen anything like this before. It was huge, nearly seven feet tall, with extra muscle to boot. They jad no idea what this thing was capable of, or what to do with it. All hoped that it would surrender. Fat chance.  
  
Before they could react the beast lunged across the thirty foot gap and landed right on the commanding officer. His claws dug into the body armor and ripped it to shreds, exposing the flesh underneath. One quick jab was all it took, blood flowed from the open wound, it killed the officer instantly. By now the other slodiers ahd turned arround to shoot. He bolted straight for them. Crouching low he knocked over several soldiers that had assembled almost in single file. He lingered at the last one, only to crush his skull under the helmet.  
  
He was ready for round two when he froze. So did the soldiers. A stupified glare on his face. He shook his head to rid himself of whatever it was. Another 'wave' hit him. Paraylizing him and sending pain shooting down his spine. He fell to his knees and gasped. It felt like his chest was on fire, getting harder to breath. The soldiers that were left filed out of the room in a trance-like state.  
  
He rolled over on his back, hoping that would ease the pain. He saw something up on a catwalk above him, a pair of eyes that seemed to pierce right into him, that caused his pain. Then the tall figure passed through the railing that was protecting him from falling off. He floated down to the ground and hovered inches above it. He growled at the man who seeemed to have the authority of a god. Another streak of pain shot through his head. He reached up to kill the alien in front of him. A series of pain racked through his body. He fell back to the floor writhing in pain.  
  
Darfinis smiled. "I hope you learn fast. Because if you don't, it will be painful." He reached a hand down to help the big genetic creation up. The beast huffed and stood up on his own legs, which swayed under his weight. Darfinis read him mind, it was filled with hate, for no aparent reason. The thing wanted to kill him, anyone who he saw. He read an attack. The powerful arm came down hard. But it was met with an equally strong psychic blow, effectively stopping it. The arm recoiled in pain. "You cannot strike me down." Darfinis said confidently. He felt a change in the things attitude. Instead of anger, it was replaced with fear. A very deep fear. He smiled. Step one was accomplished.  
  
* * *  
  
626 had found Jumba outside on the asteroid, with a portable atmospheric creator, running at full capacity. The genetic doctor was laying on a lounge chair he'd packed, drinking a pinkish liquid in a wine glass. 626 noted that he seemed to be relaxing, perfect, he'd never see it comming.  
  
He slowly made his way to the rear of the chair. He planned to knock off one of the legs of his chair, and send him to the ground. While he was almost there, three feet, he accidently moved a rock, which echoed in the atmosphere dome. The huge scientist turned to see where it came from. "Busted." 626 whispered. "Who-?" Jumba asked. He put his full weight on one side of the chair, and craned his kneck to see behind him. 626 saw it. Jumba's full weight cracked the legs, they broke. He toppled over, the pink liquid spilled out of the glass onto his white shirt. Jumba flailed his arms in an act as not to fall. 626 thought the whole asteroid shook he landed that hard.  
  
626 was rolling on the ground with laughter. Jumba was embarassed, he knew better than to keep his back turned and his mind occupied. He stood up, and brushed himself off. He couldn't help but join in. 626 recovered from the laughing and wiped the tears from his eyes. "You know the really funny part was." he said. "Was that I wanted to do that. But you turned and broke it yourself." he half luaghed and coughed. ''So, where's 327?" 626 inquired. Jumba shielded his eyes from the nearby sun and looked out over the horizon. "She's out with 625, picking up rocks." he pointed, "Over there."  
  
Jumba began to pick up the broken chair and put the pieces back into the cargo bay. 626 ran off to join them. "626!" Jumba yelled. He saw him turn and look back. "Five minutes, then start heading back." 626 nodded and continued on the rocky route to where 327 was.  
  
327 had been picking arround the huge boulders for the past hour, looking for amber colored rocks which she knew to be diamonds in the rough. She had quite a find, two of them were three inches in diameter, other were assorted sizes, no larger than a quarter. "Here's one." she said with glee, picking it out from the pile of darkened stones. "Catch." she threw it back to 625, who was carrying the basket filled with the rocks. 625 gave a sigh of complaint. She continued to pick her way up a slope, toward the cruiser. The sun was blotted out by something at the summit. She looked up to see an outline on an experiment. "Your finally up." she said emotionlessly. "That's no way to treat a gantleman." 626 told her, while sliding down the slope to meet her. "What are you doing?" 626 asked curiously, while she moved stones. "Diamonds, ever hear of them." she informed him. "Why can't he carry the basket?" 625 whined from the rear. "A quiet servant is well rewarded." 327 quoted. "What's that supposed to mean? I still don't see why I have to carry this HEAVY basket."  
  
327 just rolled her eyes. "Just ignore him." 626 whispered to her. "Besides, Jumba wants us to come back anyway." The group of experiments walked toward the red cruiser, conversing as they went, except for 625, all he did was whine the whole way.  
  
After 327 had put the 'useless rocks', as 625 said, in a safe place she went to sit in the lounge. 625 went straight to the galley, for only one reason - he'd missed his hourly bread indulgence. Jumba called for 626, who was finishing off a bottle of organic tea. "626, I need you for a second, up in the cockpit." 626 tossed the bottle in a corner and scurried down the walkway running down the center of the ship.  
  
He appeared in the cockpit to find Jumba hunched over a display screen. "What does this mean?" he asked the experiment. 626 climbed up on the controll panel to look. He peered at what Jumba was interested in. On it was a dot in the center. "That's out ship." he pointed to the center. "And that is...." he paused as the screen updated. When th object appeared he stopped. "That is the biggest attackship I have ever seen!" There was definately no tone of joy in his voice. "Uh-" Jumba said. "Start the engines, bring us up to speed with it." 626 commanded as he left the room. He grabbed the remote for the gunship that was 'parked' behind them, and ran back up to the cockpit. 


	18. Severly Wounded

Severly Wounded  
  
"I wanted to find something I've wanted all along.......Somewhere I belong." ~Linkin Park  
  
The huge battle ship, laser cannons and ion cannons pointing out every orifice they could shove them out, loomed over the small red cruiser. Both were at a stand off, but if push came to shove, the out come would be entirely predictable. The attack ship was waiting for confirmation on the small cruiser under them, they had a long history of destroying or capturing ship without warrents on them.  
  
The small cruiser wasn't going to stay long. Jumba had already keyed in the co-ordinates for the nearest safe port. 626 was flying the attack ship to the safety of a nearby planet. Hoping after the ordeal with the battleship was over they would return and continue on thier way. He hit the after- burners to speed up, they needed all the time they could get. "Uh- 626, there's some one over here who thingks you should hurry." Jumba said nervously, he was looking out the window, at the huge ship comming on them. "Any time now." he continued. 626 thought that was enough distance, he slammed a button to hold the ship in it's current postion. He then threw the set on the seat and leapt to the floor. "I need you up here!" Jumba shouted as he saw the experiment bolt into the rear.  
  
626 popped open the hatch to the storage and began rooting through his personal stuff that he'd stashed close to the door. He pulled out a coil of wire wrapped arround an enclosed capsule. He grabbed a stick of explosives he'd found before they left the lab. "About thirty seconds, then we're dead!" Jumba yelled in desperation. 626 scurried over to the trash disposer and produced a roll of tape from a pocket and began wrapping the stick to the wire coated capsule. "626!" exclaimed a chorous of voices. He threw the taped up thing into the disposal and closed the lid. He pushed the eject button and made like a bat outa the nine hells to the cockpit.  
  
"I hope you have a plan!" Jumba said, indicating the ship that was on them. 626 calmly took the pilots chair and watched the giant ship's bay doors open. "They are three seconds away from putting a tractor beam on us." Jumba informed him, sweat was rolling down his face. "We hit the hyper drive." 626 said, reached for the lever. "Cruise in sub space for a milli- second." He wrenched the handle down, then back up, all in one fluid motion. "And then hopefully......" he paused.  
  
A shock wave hit the cruiser, rocking it back and forth, untill the stabilizers could counter the effects. The lights flickered momentarily. 626 glanced at the ship that was almost out of range, the lights had shut off, and generator was dead. Only for a few minutes. "Everything is disabled, temporarily." he told Jumba, who was seconds away from convulsing. His face lightened up when he heard the good news. He regained controll of his emotions and sat up. "We need to get out of here." Jumba typed some co-ordinates into the nava computer and warmed up the hyper drive. "Destination set, proceding to course indicated." a mechanical voice said.  
  
The stars became a blurr and the g forces could be felt, pressing them into the chairs, untill the atmosphere settled. Jumba let it run on course for a few minutes. He then stopped, entered a new course, he cruised on that for a few mintues then stopped again. He then re-entered the origional course and warped off again.  
  
He set a timer then mosyed to the lounge. He flopped down onto a couch and sighed. "626, what was that thing anyway?" he asked the alien who was staring up at the ceiling. 626 turned over and faced him. "It was an unfinished electromagnetic bomb. I used an explosive to set it off." he answered. "Clever, very. Why didn't you do that earlier?" 626 sat upright and thought, he did it out of instinct, acted before he thought. "Ah. All arround the ship, under all the shielding and armor is a thin coating of rubber, that absorbs any electric interference from space. But when the protective bay doors are open, they have to drop thier shields, and the doors reveal a weakness. Above the bay in the main generator, the heart of the ship. When it detonated the pulse wasn't absorbed, it went in the open doors, disrupted the generator. When that happens-" "No power!" Jumba cut in. "Right." 626 said.  
  
A huge grin spread across Jumba's face. "626, you have surpassed my expectations." 626 shared the doctor's joy, either that or he was glad to be in the limelight. "So where do we go now? The cruiser should have cleared the area and is now searching for us. We could go back and get the other experi-" "No." Jumba stopped him. 626 didn't understand, Jumba had always cared for his creations, always wanted them to be treated well and fairly. "Why?" 626 asked in alarm. "626," Jumba sighed. "We cannot go back. That was my first rule, never go back. They will eventually be discovered. They will survive." he told 626. "But-" 626 protested. "No, drop it 626. Nothing can make me go back." Jumba turned to the controlls and stared regretfully at them. 626 left the cabin, wondering why Jumba had this change in attitude toward his work. It wasn't like him, to abandon his work. Perhaps someday he migh leave him somewhere.  
  
* * *  
  
Several hours later Jumba pulled the ship out of sub-space and drifted to the planet known as Zenon V.  
  
"Zenon V." Jumba announced. "Lush vegitation covers most of this planet, it actually looks like a scene from the Jurassic period on Earth. Several large cities cover a huge span of the planet, most are buried deep in the jungle, some are on the water." 327 leaned to a window and looked down. "Any indiginous races.... I mean any we have to look out for." she asked without looking up from the window. "None that are dangerous anyway, unless you have a bounty on your head. Most of the inhabitants are a reptilian like species. Carnivores or omnivores. A peaceful planet at the most, perfect for us to settle down on." Jumba informed her. "Besides, we have 626 with us. There's nothing to worry about." Jumba turned to the chair where 626 was co-piloting the ship, well at least an hour after they jumped into sub-space. Now he was hanging half off the chair in a deep sleep, a trickle of drool dripping to the floor.  
  
Jumba couldn't help but let out a laugh. "We'll circle the planet several times before we land."  
  
*  
  
Halfway arround the planet, hanging in the black void of space lay a ship of deadly magnitude. A pirate-ing vessle, searching through the galaxy for unsuspecting ship to attack and plunder from the cargo holds the treasures inside.  
  
On this paticular day the pirates aboard the ship the pirates had no ships in the area for a while and were now spoiling for a good fight and a looting of a ship. Although morale was low and so was the gin in the cabnets, they were ready for anything.  
  
The bridge was a hub of activity and and voices. Each pirate had his own story of who he was and how he became a pirate. Rumors of mutiny were present, but the origin of them was likely a bluff. The ship had been in orbit for a month and the crew grew unruly and just plain out tired of the same planet.  
  
The captain would hear nothing of it. He had made a descision, and that was final. Although the crew had thier gripes about him they still followed orders.  
  
Zrong was a hard ass captain, who held a pile of gold in one hand and a scimitar in the other. He wasn't one of the geo-phisicysts of the universe, but he also wasn't a run-of-the-mill dum wad captain. He was well educated in the first few years of his life. He had always heard stories about the space pirates and thier raids on huge merchant ships, and was fascinated. One day he told his mother that he 'wanted to grow up and be a space pirate'. His mother laughed. He learned what he could in anyhting he could get his claws on.  
  
He looked out he window of the bridge, down on his homeworld. He was rather small for his species. He was arround 5 standard feet tall, very small considering his species height was an average 7 standard feet. Raptor liek qualities would fit his description perfectly. Although he was mistaken for a dynonichous because of his size. Over the thousands or years the velociraptors had been on ZenonV they had adapted to a homosapienanic like build. Instead of the layout of thier bodies being horizontal it was vertical. The forearms devolped to the extent of being almost humanic, except the three claws and the thumb-claw. The long sweeping tales for balance had been shortened by evolution. Now being more of a nuisece than a useful tool.  
  
His appearance was dark, he insisted on wearing dark colored clothes. He wore a dark blue shirt with a Hawiian twist, hibiscus flowers and pineapples bordered the bottom. His pants were a forest green with a thin yellow stripe running down the middle of the leg. And to add to the theme he had a long black cape with a thin gold border on the bottom. His nonsensical appearance and sharp witty mind were his key attributes.  
  
He continued to scan the forest like planet. "Hey boss, I sees somthin` arn the radar." The not too bright crew member said. "Anything on the make of the ship?" Zrong asked. The dumb smuggler looked back on the screen. "It be weely small, I thinks a personel ship." Zrong paused for a second, lost in thought. He spoke after a while. "It maybe a pleasure cruiser, but none the less it is a ship. Get ready to fire." Zrong commanded.  
  
"Thatz what I is talkin' about." The impared smuggler said gleefully while reaching for the alarm. A high pitched ringing filled the command deck and the bright lights turned a deep crimson, creating an eerie glow.  
  
Zrong walked over to the window to see the ship, which was almost in range. The lights dimmed as the special weapon charged up. The secret to all of Zrong's raids and great escapes were hidden inside the ship. The Ultra high electro magnetic pulse, which sent a great ammount of negetive electrical energy in a burst to the selected ship. When the pulse hit the energy would short out all electrical systems and drain any power source. There was only one side effect, the pulse did only temporary dammage, thus giving the pirates a short time to get inside and reach the main controlls.  
  
"You may fire when they are within range." Zrong commanded. "Then pull the ship into the docking bay. Put all occupants on the hold." He turned and left the room, he had something else on his mind to deal with at the moment.  
  
*  
  
"626, wake up and take a look at our new home." Jumba said, prodding him. 626 just grunted and rolled over in the seat. The giant scientist was looking at the huge green mass of jungle below him. 625 stood by Jumba's feet trying to get a view. "Where!, I want to see!" he jumped up, with no avail. The pink experiment had no intention of letting the little trog up. "327, try your luck with 626." Jumba said to her, wanting to let 625 have a chance to see the planet.  
  
327 jumped down from the window and landed on the floor with a thud, clearly showing her resentment that she had to leave the beautiful view. 625 scrambled up as soon as she was down. "Wow, green jungle. What's all the big fuss about a green jungle?" he said cynically. Jumba said nothing and 327 sighed at him.  
  
327 stood by the chair and blew in 626's ear. 626 ticked his ear in annoyance and turned over in the chair. "Leave me alone." he murmured. "You have to get up and come see our new home." she protested, pulling at his battle uniform. "I'll see it later, like when I wake up." 626 shook her off and curled up into a ball. "I lost my place at the window to 625 to come wake you up." she told him. 626 shifted a little. "My sympathies, now go away." he said causticly. 372 now senced the impossibility of the situation. "I'll get a bucket of water." she said, her mouth twisting into an 'evil' grin.  
  
626 popped an eye open at this. "You wouldn't." he yawned sleepily and sat up. 327 grinned, "Complete with ice to boot." 626 slid off the chair. "Allright, I'm up." He fought a huge yawn, trying to rub the sleep from his eyes. 327 grabbed his arm, "It's really beautiful, Come see!" she was literally dragging 626 across the walkway and thrust him up to the window. Jumba backed away, "It really is a fantastic view 626." Jumba turned to the bow of the ship and walked to the cockpit.  
  
626 removed his face from the window. "It's nice." he grumbled. "Now I'm going back to sleep." He started listing over and off the window ledge. 327 saw him and grabbed his collar. "You're not co-operating here." she said in disgust. 626 had fallen off and was dangling above the ground, being choked by his collar which 327 was holding onto. He made several sounds that indicated that he wasn't getting enough air. 327 ignored him though. He reached up to grab her paw and wrench the collar free, but the rubbery material had stretched out of his reach. He grabbed the wall behind him and shimmied up backwards.  
  
626, back on the edge, growled in protest, rubbing his neck while the material shrank back to it's origional form. "Just a few minutes, then you can go back to sleep." 327 informed him. He stared out the window, a look as if he was being forced to eat poisin was rought on his face. The pinkish experiment turned to see his expression. She laughed when she saw him. "626, you should see yourself. You look like you ate a bag of lemons." 626 changed from a his previous look to a derranged grin. "Better?" he sneered. "Now you look like 625." she teased. "If you think it's that horrible to sit here by me for three minutes, you can leave." 626 promptly jumped off the ledge. "That wasn't what I meant!" she yelled as 626 ran to the seat he hoped was still warm.  
  
"626, tell me what you think of this." Jumba pointed at the readout of a ship on the display screen. The blue experiment stared for a while. "I say put on your seatbelt and let them maek the first move." 626 said. "Why?" Jumba asked, curious that 626 knew something he didn't. "Because, that's a pirating vessel." 626 told him casually. "Oh." Jumba murmuerd. "I think it would be a good idea to put on a seatbelt." He reached for his buckle. 626 grabbed the intercom. "327, you might want to take a seat and get a belt on. 625 can remain where he is." he let out a small laugh after he put the micrphone down. But he missed the cradel by an inch and it rolled onto the floor and out of the cockpit. "Ooops, I'l go get that." he said, and jumped off the chair.  
  
*  
  
"Captain, enemy within range. The electro-magnetic pulse is fully charged." the tech at the console said. "Fire." the captain ordered. The blue pule was sent flying into the other ship. Cheers went up through the entier ship. Zong couldn't help but smile.  
  
*  
  
"Incomming!" Jumba yelled in a tone of intense terror.  
  
626 turned to the front just in time to see a blue pulse heading for the ship. Things got wierd after that. Things got slow. 626 remembers the blue pulse hitting the ship, the lights went out. Small electrical surges crawled over everything. He saw a red pannel come off from under the nose. There was a jarring explosion. The whole ship bucked. 626 was sent flying into the air. He saw 327 in her seatbelt, 625 was clinging onto her as the explosion hit. He saw Jumba at the controlls, the air bag was starting to inflate, verly slowly. Slow. He continued his slow spin, up, up. He finally saw where he was going. He saw a metal beam right in front of his face. Then that was all he saw. Black.  
  
*  
  
"What was that?!" Zrong exclaimed. "What happened there? Anyone?" He wathced as the ship's front end exploded in a ball of fire, which was smothered my the airlessness of space soon after. A black smog hid the front end. The red cruiser's stabliers fought to keep the ship from cartwheeling out of controll. "What in the nine hells was that?" he shouted. A tech at the scaner was silent for a second. After he read the data on his screen he spoke. "Sir, it looks like the EMP blew out the ship's front stablizers, causing a huge explosion. We're lucky th eother stablizers stopped the ship from going into an endless spin." Zrong looked out the window. "This changes everything. My intent was not to harm the ship. Bring it into a docking bay. Give medical attention to anyone who needs it. I will board th eship and tell the crew it was an accident." he sighed.  
  
"Fire in the main EPM generator room!" rang a voice over the comms. "Get it under controll!" the general technician yelled back. "Yes sir!" the comms crackled. Zrong turned top the general tech. "Remind me to hire someone to fix the wiring on the generator next time we are in port." He patted him on the shoulder. "I'll will, sir." the tech saluted confidently. Zrong reached his long clawed hand over to a microphone and entered the medical bay code. "Wade, get your two best men and meet me in docking bay three." he paused for a second, thinking if they'd need anything else. "Bring some restraints, just in case." He put the reciever down before he could hear the confirming 'sir' shouted back.  
  
Zrong took an elevator down to the dock entrance where he met his best medic and his team. Wade was a short human who was lugging a huge cart behind him that was filled with equipment for any kind of injury. From a minor burn, to a severed limb, if given enough time, Wade could get them help and save thier arm faster than any doctor anywhere in the galaxy. Two other men in white hospital like clothes stood beside him. Both had huge bulging muscles that were big enough to stop an onslaught of umarmed mobsters. They were there for security reasons, just in case the occupants of the spacecraft needed some 'help' in calming down, particularly the armed ones.  
  
"Are we ready?" Zrong asked. Wade looked at both of the aliens beside him before aswering him. "Now or never." he boasted. Wade strained at the load on the cart as he went through the door to the docking bay. Zrong followed behind.  
  
The docking bay was in full swing. The overhead crane was moving huge crates arround to make space for the ship to dock. Two aliens in orange suits were shouting orders in multiple languages, pointing this way and that, indicating that the crane move the boxes in a timely fassion. Zrong wathced the utter chaos with a little bit of contentment, a wry grin curled up his lip on one side of his long head. He took two long strides toward the console at the center of a walk way suspended above the docking floor. He tapped the alien at the controlls. "Any thing on who this ship belongs to, and why it is way out here in the outer rim?" The green skinned humanoid jumped. "Sir, you scared the piss out of me." he caught his breath and started. "Nothing on the owner and where it's from. But I can conclude that it is a pleasure cruiser, and very heavily loaded down at that." he concluded with a crooked grin. Zrong peered up as the doors opened and the red cruiser floated inside hte safety of the docking bay.  
  
Zrong couldn't help but notice the black marks left by the explosion. He let his jaw slowly open in amazement at the dammage. Where the front stablizers should be was a gaping hole, clearly th eocupants were severly injured by the looks of the ship and how it bucked after the explosion. "That's one hellofa hole." the humanoid said. "Our ship did that?" "No," Zrong cut him off. "Our ship disabled the power, and crushed that panel, the electrical surge ignited the fuel that spilled when the canister was crushed. Give me a full scan of the interior and the occupants, if there are any left....." he trailed off. The green alien tapped at the keyboard. The display screen filled with data. He looked for the most important data first. "Capatin, there was critical dammage done to the structure of the ship, partially due to the load of equipment in the hold." he looked up. "What kind of equipment?" Zrong said into space while staring at the ship. The humanoid looked again at the data. "Scientific stuff. There are several pieces of equipment that could go for thousands of credits."  
  
"Why would someone take a whole shipload of scientific equipment and run off into deep space? Is he hiding from something? Some one? We'll never know untill we get on the ship." Wade reasoned. "How many passengers?" Zrong turned away from Wade and to the green humanoid, he had finally taken his eyes off the ship. "Eh, it looks like three, wait, four. One of the passenger's vitals are fading fast. If we are going to save him it looks like we move fast, and now." Wade grabbed the cart and flew off into the center of the docking bay where the loaders had just secured the ship. Zrong and the two burly aliens were close behind.  
  
"I'm going in first." Wade voulentered. He grabbed a small tranquilizer that could be loaded with hundreds of different medicines. He loaded several vials into it and went to the door on the side. "Wait a minute." Zrong stopped him. "We're rushing into this headlong, without concern if any of the aliens inside are armed or even conscience. We could be going to our deaths. I know that sounds far-fetched but I've always learned to be ready for anything." Wade stopped. "Thenm what do we do?" he scratched his head, looking puzzled. "I'll go first." Zrong said, and pushed Wade back.  
  
Zrong wasn't sure of what to expect as he pushed in the universal code to open outer hatches. The door hissed open, revealing a blackened interior. "EMP shorted out the lights." he remembered. From deep inside the ship a rumble shook the doorway in a slow manner. The lights flickered back on. Wade was able to get his head into the doorway. He wished he hadn't.  
  
The air inside smelled like a metallic liquid, it was a famalliar smell, but at the same time not so recognizeable. No medical text pad could ever have prepared him for this. Wade thought twice about entering the ship. The interior was a nice splash of different colors, wooden cabnet linned the mid-section of the ship. There was no expence spared in the luxurios interior. But that wasn't the reason he saw sick to his stomach. He turned away and waited for nausea to leave. Zrong's face was set in a nuetral expression, he'd seen worse. He walked to the front of the ship and stopped. He looked up at the ceiling, and the metal beam. "Point of origin. Where it happened. Something hit this, and rolled down this way, to the rear." He looked down, and to the aft of the ship.  
  
The interior, starting at the place where Zrong stood, and from there back was covered in splotches of blood. It was everywhere, on the floor where it had collected in pools at the lowest points, dripping from the roof onto the floor, the cabnets, everywhere. There was no explaining what had happened. Wade reasoned it was fresh, barely ten minutes old. Some of it was still blue, but oxidized, and turned red fast. It screamed head wound, a smashed skull that burst on impact, or a artery that had been cut, sending blood everywhere. Zrong walked calmly to the cockpit. He looked at the pilot, still breathing. "Pilot's alive." he called to Wade.  
  
Wade looked at the row of seats, he immediately picked out an aquamarine alien that had been buckled in, he looked pretty alive, just nocked out. "We have a little guy here that appears to be ok. I'm going to try and find out what made all that blood up there." He started to move to the back. He picked out several places in the blood where something had walked, into the back of the ship. He entered a narrow hallway and continued to move back. Somethign brushed his leg. He swung the tranquilizer down to see, but met the floor. Nothing. "Cool it." he reminded himself.  
  
He entered the bedroom at the rear of the ship. In the corner was an alien that looked like the other one up in the front. But this one was red, covered in blood, it's own blood. Plus it was thrashing arround a bit, Wade guessed that was from a rupture somewhere along the neural area. He bent down to try and find out where the blood was comming from and try to stop it. Something hit his back. He turned to see what it was. He saw another thing like the rest, but this one was pink, in the areas hat weren't covered in blood. "What happen....." The little alien cut him short, nocking the gun from his hand. "You killed him you bastards!" It screamed. Wade ducked as it jumped for him. He rolled and dove for the gun. "I'm sure this is all a misunderstanding." Wade stammered. The little alien swung a bar at him, barely missing his leg and cutting his pant leg. He leveled out the tranq and fired. The pink thing caught the dart square in the chest and reeled over instantly from the sedative.  
  
Wade now turned to the bloody mess on the floor, it had stopped thrashing. "Bad sign." He muttered. He pulled a scanner from his pocket and ran it along the body, trying to see if he could save it before it had no hope of returning. Data filled the small screen. "Wholy shit." Wade gasped. He read off the list. "Minor skull fracuring, dammage to the cerebral coretex, um.... there." He pulled a gauze pad from the pack on his waist and applied it to the small alien's forehead. The two muscular aliens appeared. "We heard some shouting, What's going on." They said in unison. Wade pointed to the pink alien with the dart in it's chest. "It attacked me, I tranqued it. You might want to clean her up and put some restraints on her before she wakes up, she was rather testy about he touching him." he motioned his head to the pink bloody alien on the floor. "This one is in critical condition, if I don't get him to the medical bay now we could lose him. From the looks of it he has lost most of his blood, and to boot he is still alive. Which is amazing, considering if any species loses half of the blood in the body, they die."  
  
One of the muscular aliens had grabbed a stretcher from the cart and handed it to Wade. Wade carefully lifted 626 onto the stretcher and picked it up. "We're going to have to get an IV going and get some blood into him if he wants to live." He moved out into the main area of the ship and to the door, from there he took 626 to the medical bay. The huge aliens in white cleaned off 327, under Wade's supervision, restrained her and put her in a cell in the medical bay.  
  
Wade started an IV running into 626's arm and got blood running into him. 626's breathing was irregular, short breaths with a long interval betwen inhale and exhale. The medic used a scissors to cut the red-stained suit off 626. He passed a machine over the bed that fully scanned 626, Wade didn't want to miss a thing. After several runs and comparing the data he finall made the descision that all the dammage was to the head. He could do nothing but put all the fluids 626 had lost back in. He couldn't fully assess the dammage until the thing woke up.  
  
Wade also did full scans on the rest of the crew, even the wild little pink alien. The pilot, Jumba had suffered a mild concussion and was out cold, possibly for weeks. The aquamarine alien had just fainted, probably from the blood, he would wake up in a few hours. 327 on the other hand was devistated, she was under the impression 626 was dead, and the people arround her were the cause, anyone who entered the cell she attacked. She was beyond all reason and although was handcuffed, bit any one she could. Wade decided that she needed to be left alone.  
  
*  
  
Zrong had the ship searched for anything valuable. Although all they found that was worth anything was all the equipment in the hold. They took mos tof the useful items and left the rest. Zrong wanted the repairs to commence as soon as they could.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * 


	19. Pirates, Jungles, and Mutated Things

Pirates, Jungles, and Mutated Things.  
  
*Two days after the pirates attacked Jumba's ship*  
  
Nothing mattered now. She thought it was best she lay down and die. It was all over, 626 was dead, the only thing she had ever cared about. She remembered that being with him made her feel safe, loved. Something deep inside her was moved, something she hadn't felt, ever. Although 626 hadn't the knowabouts for how to show his emotion and love for her, she could feel it. There was also a bond between them, something more that love, more than just common understanding for eachother.  
  
But there was always a chance, 626 had gotten out of worse, more compromising situations before. He was all but invincible, she reminded herself. Even after the attack things were blurry, she was knocked out by the impact and lost track of time. Days could have passed, or hours would be more reasonable. She also hadn't the time to do a full diagnostic scan on him before that man showed up and she tried to attack him. From the moment she woke up, and after the tranquilizer wore off, she felt an unstopable rage, a fire that needed to be put out. This was the first time she had felt it and was unsure on how to react to it, so she did the msot predictable thing for one of Jumba's experiments to do. Attack something.  
  
Now laying curled up on the floor of a deadthly cold prison cell in the medical bay 327 used every ounce of her energy to keep warm. She needed to get outside the cell and and find out what was going on, what all the comotion was about. There was some unaudible babble that she couldn't make out. She heard something about a blue alien, which she took as 626. Everytime she heard this her hopes soared. She was expecting 626 to bust through the door at any time. She shivered, and sniffed. "Oh great, I've got a cold" she mumbled, the voice was barely audible in the cell. Escape was the most important thing right now. She did admit it would be a whole lot feasible if she wasn't so cold, and that damn doctor hadn't put her in these handcuffs. They weren't like the origional ones where you could pick the lock with an object on the ground, or a claw, they were the new kind, total enclosure of the forearm and hands, or in her case paws, so that escape was impossible. She had concluded that they were made out of a nearly indestructable marterial, she found this out when a tooth broke after trying to crush them.  
  
'Although it had only been two days, or was it longer?' 327 thought regaurdless of the time, under the condition she was in, she couldn't make it for more that a few more days. 327 estimated it was nearly freezing, or below. With no cover or anyhting to eat she was begining to break down, and a cold to top it all off. She couldn't feel her legs, and her ear tips were numb. Unless 626 would come and save her it was all over in a matter of time. She just wished it would end, despite the outcome in either scenario.  
  
*  
  
The huge scientist lay in bed. He'd been out cold for two days. He had a mild concussion, or that was what Wade thought at first, it turned out to be just a small bruise. Also lack of sleep took it's toll too, Jumba had been awake for nearly as long as 626 had been while piloting the remote ship behind them, so he was half unconscious, half asleep. He was finally begining to wake up. Although he had a splitting headache he was fine. He turned over in the bed, confused. "626, put some coffee on the burner for your good Dr.Jookiba." he groaned. He listened for the sound of the reverberator that always was noisily beating at the frame of the supports for the engine. It wasn't there. "626, why have we sto-" he sat up. A look of confusion crossed his face. This wasn't his bed. Nor his room. He stood up and looked out he door at the wall. This wasn't his space ship either. He threw on his shirt and headed for the door. He was going through the thousands possibilities of what happened through his head.  
  
He stopped before he went out. There was an unfriendly hum somewhere outside the door. He reached out and touched the force field that was stopping him from exiting. The field rippled when he touched it, and gave him a strong shock. "Ow!" he pulled his hand back. He turned to see if there was any other way out. He rushed to the door on the opposite side of the room, and flung it open. It was a closet, barren and empty. The hum be hind him was gone. He turned to see what happened.  
  
A tall raptor like alien stood in the doorway, flanked by two gaurds with the looks of dead seriousness about them and they were carrying riffles. Jumba wisely took a seat in the corner of the room, where he could see everyhting. The raptor took a seat on the opposite side of the room and stared at Jumba. It was a while before anyone said anything. Zrong started.  
  
"I understand that you are Dr. Jumba Jookiba. The same wanted by the Galactic Federation for illegally experimenting with gentics. It is a rather large sum or credits, too large for anyone to skip up. And your 'Experiment 626' that has caused destruction all over the place, making anything it touches dissappear. I admit she is a wild card, nearly took off my medic's head from what I hear." Zrong paused, he wanted to let Jumba have a few words.  
  
Jumba was thinking hard. There were a few facts that this alien had wrong. But the thing that worried him was that he knew about his work, which meant the Council had offered a bounty. "So you're just after the bounty on us, is that it?" Jumba cut to the chase. Zrong shook his head. "No, you problem is not mine. I am just a simple space pirate captain, here with my crew to raid ships and seek the bounty in the cargo holds." he stated simply. Jumba wasn't sure where this guy was comming from. "You attacked my ship, the fate of my crew is unknown to me, and you want me to put my trust in you?" Jumba said, laying his hand on he table so to speak. "I never indicated that you put anythign toward me." Zrong replied. "But what do you want, ransom? Credits?" Jumba questioned. He pointed to the gaurds. "And what's with them, have you been attacked a genetic scientist before?" Zrong let out a little laugh. "No, no. I have to be cautious when on my own ship. In fact the crew wanted them to come, after the heard what your thing can do."  
  
Zrong stood up. "I'm sorry, I should have done this earlier." Jumba stood up too, he had no idea what this alien planned. Zrong walked over to Jumba and held his clawed hand out. "My name is Zrong Snatu, Captain of the 'Monty's Hook' the best pirating vessel out in the galaxy." Jumba saw no malicios intent he shook Zrong's hand. "Dr. Jumba Jookiba, Galaxies greatest Genetic Scientist." he boasted. "What of my crew, the three little aliens?" Jumab asked. Zrong patted him on the back. "Don't worry all of them are fine, one was in critical condition when we pulled your ship in. But he seems to be recovering." Jumba paused. "I need to see him." Jumba demanded. Zrong had no objections. "He's your crew member, you can see him. He's in the medical bay. Follow me." Zrong walked out of the room. Jumba stood up and swayed under his weight for a second. He gained balance and walked out the door. The gaurds followed behind him.  
  
Both walked down the narrow hallway. "What was the reason that you attacked my ship?" Jumba asked point blank. Zrong continued down the hall. "I was under the assumption that you were my brother. Him and I have been in a few skirmishes, we are always looking for ways to get even at eachother." Zrong lied. "But when I fired the EMP pulse it hit your front stablizers and they exploded. It was an accident, for which I express my sympathies." He said without looking back. Jumba senced some remorse in his voice, but couldn't be sure.  
  
Zrong rounded the corner and entered the door with a white cross. Jumba saw several hospital style beds stretched out along the wall. White cabnets alligned the adjacent wall. There were also several cells along the wall, for potentially dangerous psychopaths. Jumba noted that this was a mini- hospital, and aboard a pirating ship too. The last bed in the row was occupied by a blue alien buried inder the blankets. There was a white bandadge arround his head that was stained with blood. Jumba hurried over to the bed. He began to tear away the bandadges. Zrong refraind from saying anything for a second, but after seing Jumba rip the bendages off the blue alien he stopped Jumba. "You shouldn't be doing that." He grabbed his arm. "I know what I'm doing, leave me alone." Zrong stepped back, he figured that if Jumba had made him he would know everything about him.  
  
Jumba took a light and hovered it over 626. He pulled a chair over and took a look at the stitches on 626 head. He sized up the wound. It was farely large and was poorly stitched together. But the didn't want to remove them. He looked at the IV running from 626's arm and ripped it out, the blue alien's handcurled up in pain, then relaxed. "You shouldn't have done that, but you didn't know. We'll pay for that later." Jumba threw the packet of blood into a corner of the room. "Why?" Zrong asked innocently.  
  
"626 was designed to operate without any help from the outside world. His body can produce blood faster than any living creature in the universe. Sometime later his body will try to dispose of the blood, most likely it will collect in his stomach and then he will vomit it out. It will not be pretty." Jumba finished. Zrong though for a second. "I thought 626 was the little pink one." he stated bluntly. Jumba looked up and said in great concern. "327, where is she?"  
  
Zrong took a key from the white lab coat on the rack and walked over to one of the cells at the far end of the wall. He slipped it onto the hole in the door and twisted. He swung the heavy steel door open and the cold air rushed along the floor. "Um, that wasn't supposed to happen. These cells are supposed to be heated and controlled by thermostats outide." He looked at it. The first thing htat came to mind was Wade. He had gotten bit by her and in revenge most likely turned off the heater, he also had been doing things to other members of the crew like this and it was getting out of hand. "I'll have to speak to Wade about this." Zrong said sourly. He walked into the cell, being cautious. Steam cam eoff his body the roomwas so cold. When he saw 327 was shivering voilently he walked closer. He knelt down and put a hand on her. She was freezing. As soon as he touched her she mumbled something. "Six..." she broke off to sniff. "Two six?" she quivered. Zrong said the msot comforting thing he could think of. "I'ts all right little one, Jumba is here, he's wating for you." He picked her up with some hesitation and held her cold body against his. She felt like an ice cube.  
  
He brought her to the bed beside 626's and laid her down. He used the key to unlock the handcuffs and placed her in bed. He looked to Jumba for something that would help. But he was too busy trying to determine 626 condition. Zrong turned on the heater in the bed and silently swared to himself to never attack a pleasure cruiser again. His intent was for 327 not to cause dammage to anything on his space ship, not be cruely treated like this. He should have checked on her after she was first put in there.  
  
"What's going on with her?" Jumba asked, too busy with his scanner to look up at Zrong. "My medic sometimes had a mean streak in him, he likes to feel like he has controll over someone. This makes him feel important, I should ride him. I didn't ask for him to torture her physically or mentally, I simply asked he restrain her." Zrong sighed. "Sometimes that happens." Jumba told him. 626 started to stir in the bed. Jumba reached out for the trash can by the side of the metal frame of the hospital bed. He was sure 626's body would reject the blood that had been put in there. 626, to Jumba's relief, just turned over and groaned. "Maybe later." Jumba put the trash can back.  
  
327 was no longer cold, she curled into a ball under the covers to keep as warm as possible. She coughed rather loudly then sniffed to keep the snot from running out of her nose. Now that she was warm and knew 626 was fine she could relax and finally get some sleep. Though she heard no word of 625's where abouts she didn't care. 327 curled up tighter and drifted off into sleep.  
  
* * *  
  
Jumba wondered that same question. Where was 625? A selfish part of him didn't want to ask. But after all it was his resposibility to know where all of his experiments were. He was bothered by whether his other experiments in the ship by the cruiser were safe, he did leave them by the ship. Maybe they picked them up and had taken over, but he was over rating them, the ones that were left. Now that 626 would make a recovery in a few days he was now aboard his cruiser that was repaired, minus some of his machines in the hold. 327 and 626 were still in the medical bay and he was thinking about leaving 625 behind.  
  
625 was, in hindsight his biggest flaw. Jumba didn't know how the aquamarine experiment became that. He never was any use anywhere, not once had 625 proved his worth. There was no fighting blood in him, he was all wussy. Thinking of blood, Jumba's attention was drawn to the roof, where 626 had hit it. He had bent the beam in an akward position, twisted it really. The blood was all gone, except the remnants on the beam. He decided to leave it there.  
  
Jumba twisted arround to see what came in through the doorway. He was hoping it was 626. "Oh, 327. It's you." he said flatly. The pink experiment grinned, and sniffed. "Sorry to dissapoint you." she sneered. Jumba opened a magazine from the table in front of him. "Feeling any better?" he asked. 327 nodded her head. "Except the running nose." she sniveled. "626 looks alot better today." she stated. Jumba peered an eye over the magazine. "Has he woken up, or mumbled anything?" 327 jumped up onto the stovetop and rummaged through the cabnet before answering. She pulled a box of crackers out and stuffed a pawfull in her mouth. "No, heef hagn't fswed any fing." She swallowed. "He just keeps adjusting his position every three minutes." Jumba put down the magazine back on the table and stood up. He stretched then walked out the hatch. "Where are you going?" 327 called after him. "To the medical bay." he replied and continued to walk.  
  
Jumba arrived in the medical bay as he did for the last three days, waiting for 626 to recover so they could get off the ship. Although he did enjoy the constant attention and listening to some of the stories that the crew freely shared with him. But more pressing matter were at hand. The hospitality of the pirates would soon wear off and he didn't want to be arround when that happened. And there was also the chance that the captain might want to collect of the bounty on his head.  
  
Jumba was suprized that 626 had been able to keep all that infused blood down for so long. He was beginning to think that his experiment's genetic coding was breaking down, they sometimes had a tendency to do that, a forgotten end on some bodily sub-routine was slowly comming apart. Jumba puleld up a chair by 626 bed side.  
  
*  
  
The last ting that he knew was that he was thrown in to the air, after that thing went black. Now he was aware, and he was alive. And that was a good sign. He seemed alright, laying down anyway. His stomach was aching and seemed to be full, small bother. Then he remembered 327. 'Oh crap, is she ok?' was the first thought that popped in his head. He open his eyes and threw himself up. After he had done that he regretted it, a painful jolt racked up his spine and a searing pain on his forehead appeared. "327?" he managed to squeak between the pounding of his heart. Each beat sent a pulse of blood to his head that made it feel like it was getting bigger then contracing making it very painful to sit up.  
  
Jumba nearly fell off his chair when 626 jumped up. Such swift action was nearly impossible after a wound like that to the head. But then again 626 was different, he was better that anything else. He thought it weired that the first thing he said was 327. It was likely that they had a stong liking for eachother, but 626, a machine of destruction was almost incapable of finding a deep understanding of love. Or at least that was what he thought.  
  
"Where is she?" he repeated. He hadn't noticed Jumba off in the corner of his vision, when he did, turned to him. He said nothing just looked at him, waiting for an answer. After deciding 626 was fine and was making good progress in recovery he told him. "327 is on the space ship, she's fine. Now that you're awake I want to run some tests. Now lay back and I'll get the scanner." he started to push 626 down. But he protested, pushing Jumba's hand away he tried to jump off the bed, but the pain stopped him and swooned into a sitting position. The big scientist became more strict. "626, Lay back down, there has been alot of dammage to your skull, some fractures and your brain had recieved most of the impact, I need to check and make sure that you are ok and not bleeding internally, and htat your brain has recovered."  
  
626, seeing that he had no other alternative layed back down. The pain in his head decreased slightly. The last thing he wanted was Jumba to prick him with some needle and fill him with more pain, all tranquilizers put a strain on his nerves, making them send false information to his brain making him feel 'fake' pain. He also didn't know where he was anyway, it wasn't Jumba's ship though. But 327 was safe and he was hagning in there. 625 hadn't crossed his mind in the least, as far as he knew 625 was a number, nothing else.  
  
Jumba ran several tests on 626 and made the conclusion that despite the blow to the head he was fine. The small hairline fractures on his skull were gone, there was no trace, the only tell tale of the would was the stitched up cut on his head. But there was some scarring on the cerebral coretex, but as of now there was no visible change in 626's behavior, for the moment anyway. He stuck the pair of handcuffs that Zrong had taken off of 327 into his pocket, just incase 626 snapped permanantly into destruction mode. But then he thought that he may have been wiped of the training that Zri had given him and he was no longer a machine for destruction. Which would be bad if they had to get out of a tight situation.  
  
Jumba watched 626 roll over and hang off the bed, his stomach in the middle of a heaving thrust. But nothing came up. "Hold on for a second." Jumba rushed to get the trash can on the floor. He was just in time. 626 went into another heave, this time it wasn't a false alarm. All the blood that had been transfused had been collecting in his stomach, had come up and now he was vomiting. A thick stream of crimson red threw itself out of 626 and into the trash can, filling the bottom, and sloshing every where for that matter.  
  
After several minutes of hovering over the can, 626 decided that he was finished. He flopped back down into the bed and shivered. He'd never done that before. Now there was an acidic burning feeling in the back of his throat. He wiped away the blood that had dribbled down his chin with the back on his arm. Jumba had taken away the can and was looking into it. "626, this is a good thing. The contents are all blood and saliva. Nothing else." Jumba said, taking it over to the hazardous materials disposal. He dumped it in then looked at the can, there was still some blood left, he threw the can in too and activated the destruction cycle. Jumba wanted to make sure no one could ever take his work and build off his perfection.  
  
After he finalized the cycle, Jumba turned to 626. "I have made plans to leave to day, well actually tonight. Slip out while the crew is sleeping. We'll have to find 625 though. He's gone missing since we got here." Jumba though aloud. "He could be anywhere. Have you checked everywhere on the ship, I mean your ship." 626 said while dropping to the floor. He tried to keep his balance while on the ground, but he was still disoriented from the crash. He took several drunken like steps before he could move arround without fear of falling over. Jumba watched 626, he was amused by th elittle experiment walking arrround like a drunken fool. He let an evil grin slip out. "Can you walk fine?" he teased. 626 stagered a couple more times then was confident he was able to walk again. He reached down to search through his pockets in his suit, like he did whenever he had awoken. But he was surprized that it wasn't there. Then he remembered that he had seen it being cut off, it was full of blood anyway. He also remembered bringing some on Jumba ship, so he had extra. For now he would have to do without his suit.  
  
626 looked up from his small stature to Jumba. "So let's go get 625 and get outa here." Jumba nodded his head in approval. He reached for an object in his coat. It was a small radio, tuned into his ship's comms system. He flicked the power switch and talked into it. 327 answered on the other side. Jumba asked her to bring the computer they used to track 626 when he was in the Grevold. Through the radio the scientist and the blue alien heard some russling of papers then the door to the ship open and close. The two waited for 327 to show up with the computer that would help them to find the missing sandwich maker.  
  
The pink experiment was slow in reaching the medical lab, but she had the computer with her which was good. Jumba gave 327 a praise she deserved and swiped the computer from her in a rather rude manner. He sat on the bed 626 was in for the last few days and began to type. He hoped 625 was somewhere near, so that none of the crew could get any ideas about what they were doing.  
  
As soon as 327 saw 626 for herself she threw herself in his arms and started crying. "I thought you were dead. I saw you, you were almost....." she choked. 626 didn't know how to respond to this time of emotional explosion. He just did the best he could. "It's alright, I'm ok now....It's alright...." he patted her back. 327 sniffed and clung on tighter, she felt something different in 626. Something deeper, something HAD changed and she could feel it. "Don't ever do that again. Don't....." she pushed her head into his soft chest. " I can't promise anything. Lets get 625 and get out of here." 626 lifted her up out of his chest. 327 tried to collect herself, but couldn't help but shed a few more tears. "I know it wasn't your fault, it could have happened to anyone." 327 whispered in his ear. "I heard you had it pretty rough too." 626 whispered back. "Let's not go there." 327 said icily. "That was the worst two days in my life." 327 and 626's attention was diverted from eachother when Jumba stood up.  
  
"AH-HA!" Jumba shouted joyously. "I've found him!" Jumba stood up and carried the computer over to the two experiments. He took his eyes off the screen and paused when he saw 327 had some tears in her eye. "327, what's the matter?" The pink experiment gripped 626 paw tighter, to the point of him wincing. "Something you wouldn't under stand." Jumba looked confused for a second. "But it is in my interest and my career to ask why and how. I would be greatful if you told me." Jumba said, trying to get 327 to tell. 327 looked up to 626 face and smiled. 626 smiled back. "It is something called love." 327 said, gazing into 626's eyes. 626 started to feel uneasy, he tried to distract the attention of Jumba. "What was it that you were saying about 625?" he moved 327 out from in front of him and off to the side, but never removed his paw from hers. Jumba looked at the computer he was holding. "Oh yes. 625 is in the galley of the cruiser. Let's get what we came with and leave." Jumba motioned to the door.  
  
Jumba and his experiments entered the docking bay. It was strangely quiet, no one was present. "Empty." 626 words echoed throught the huge area. Jumba believed him and continued walking to the red cruiser. 626 started to drift away from the small group and toward another ship. He stopped and looked at it. He scratched his chin, he had seen it somewhere. He looked closer, but couldn't distinguish what made it so famaliar. It semed to tickled something in his mind, something that was there, but couldn't reach it. He had seen the ship before.  
  
Jumba noticed that 626 had disappeared before he entered the ship. He stuck his head out to find the missing experiment. He shouldn't be hard to find, he's blue. He refrained himself from yelling his name, for he still didn't know if there was anyone there. He spotted him, sating up at a ship, the same ship he'd left on the asteroid. 626 seemed bewieldered though, as if trying to figure out where it had come from. "327, try and find 625, but after you find him stay here." Jumba said while walking out from the ship.  
  
Even as the huge scientist walked toward 626, the little experiment was oblivious to the approaching Jumba. After Jumba was a few feet from 626 he saw his ear swivel back and then return to the right place. "I know I've seen this before, somewhere. I can't find out where. It's not there." he remarked, aparently to Jumba. Jumba got closer, marveling that the battle cruiser was still intact and here of all things. He looekd down to 626. "Do you remember the crash, a few days ago?" 626 turned to Jumba. "Some details, I was hurt, bad. And then...327. and 625....... and you. We had left from somewhere, to go to this forested planet, why I don't know. It's not very clear..." he drifted off. Jumba ran his hand across his head, as in a sweeping motion to get his hair out of his face, but had none. "That blow did more to your head that I first suspected. I hope it has't done any dammage to your destructive programming." Jumba sighed. 626 gave a skeptical look. "Let's leave." Jumba turned arround and started walking. "Zrong can have those other experiments."  
  
626 hadn't any idea what Jumba was talking about. And decided that it was better he didn't know. About halfway to the cruiser there was a rusling noise off toward the entrance. Jumba whipped out his tranquilizer and faced it toward the noise. 626 scanned the area with his ears, Jumba watched him, 626 would be his only chance to survive if worse came to worse. A booming voice came from somewhere, but was obscured by the echoes.  
  
"If you intend to leave, know that here are several Federation cruisers and a battle ship cicrling the planet of ZenonIV. They have checked us out, and we have concealed you, for the time being. I hope you appreciate the risk." A figure stepped out of the shadows, it was Zrong. "Dont' say I didn't warn you." He appeared to be alone. "So you're just letting us go?" Jumba shouted. "Yes, I see no reason why to keep you here. Go." Zrong waved. "There's a trick to this, I know." Jumba yelled. "Just GO! The fleet will be bearing down on us soon." Zrong left the catwalk and disappeared. Jumba looked at 626, "Let's go." Both raced eachother to the ship.  
  
327 had found 625 in the kitchen, and knew exactly what he was doing. She gave him a good scare and then told him what they were planning to do. Jumba burst into the door, panting. 626 was right behind. Jumba ran up to the cockpit and started the engines. 626 closed the door and followed. "Engines." Jumba said. "Check." 626 replied flipping a switch. "Let's hope Zrong's repairmen are really good." Jumba hit the after burners and the ship shot out of the docking bay. Strangely enough the battle cruiser followed for some odd reason. Jumba was beginning to set a landing cycle that would take them down to the jungle floor, 626 watched 'The Monty's Hook' cloak itself. He switched his vision into infrared and saw it was right where it was when it had activated the cloak. Then the engines pulsed and the ship disappeared, into the far reaches of the galaxy no doubt. He let his vision slip back into normal spectrum and searched the space for the battle cruisers. Jumba saw what 626 was trying to do and pionted them out. "There, closing in fast." Jumba said, then twisted the controll shaft and started a straight plunge through the atmosphere, onto ZenonIV.  
  
626 looked a the display on the monitor. "Tractor beam to lock on in thrity seconds." he announced. "Heh." Jumba laughed. "We'll be moving to fast for them to lock onto. And..." He stopped, the battle cruiser was right next to them. "626, you had better not be controlling that ship or I'll-" he was cut off by a jerk. He stole a glance at the speed, it was dropping fast. The tractor beam had been locked on. Jumba let the controlls go. "They got us." he muttered in defeat. "Not yet." 626 said reaching for the controller he'd made for the battle cruiser. "If this is what I think it is, we're in luck." the blue experiment looked at it for a second, then the memory came back. "Alright." He jammed the stick hard to port, the tractor beam was broken on the cruiser and was now pulling the battle cruiser. 626 locked the course onto the ship and broke the controll, just in case. "Haha! 626 is best there is!" Jumba proclaimed. He resume controll on the descent to the planet.  
  
The red cruiser broke into the lower atmosphere and slowed. There was a clearing full of rolling grasses in the jungle below, there was also a small pond in the far right corner. Jumba noted it was by the ocean, or rather a huge lake, one of the three on the planet. He hovered above the trees for a few minutes before attempting to land. After a full scan of the area the red ship began it's slow descent to the ground. The three huge landing legs folded down out of the ship and touched the ground.  
  
* * *  
  
The red cruiser hadn't passed by the blockaide of ships without being noticed, it would have been too easy. The captain of the ship decided to let them pass and get comfortable on the planet before he would release it. Then they would have the upper hand and send some men down to the jungle to capture 626 and Dr. Jumba.  
  
Gantu looked down on the green planet, where his objective was, where it would all end. The capture of 626 was near, and he could feel it. It made his blood boil, increasing the anticipation of the hunt. "Get the men ready." he order spitefully. "I want to capture 626 once and for all." The officer saluted and walked off. "This ends today." he growled. Gantu walked out of the observatory and to the deck of the ship.  
  
*  
  
Jumba ordered 626 and 327 out of the ship and into the jungle arround the clearing, and make sure the area was fairly secure. He had several tall poles with a led light on top, he had the two experiments place them arround the perimeter of the clearing, and made sure they were well hidden. Jumba let 626 and 327 go off into the jungle to explore some ruins 327 had seen from orbit, he gave them specific order to be back before sunset.  
  
625 emmerged out of the ship, holding a crumbling sandwich. He spotted Jumbna unpacking some chairs and a small tent. "Eh, couldn't leave the planet without your amenities. What's in the cooler?" he asked, then disposed of the wrecked sandwich, by throwing it into his mouth. Jumba looked at him. "The cooler? Oh,..." he flipped open the top. "Wine coolers." he grinned, and pulled one out. "Want one?" he offered. 625 raised a paw in complaint. "No, I'm trying to cut back." he teased. "Suit yourself." Jumba said, pushing the straw into the pouch. He took a small sip and set the cooler down on the table he'd brought out.  
  
"I bet you a pastrami and pickle snadwich those two won't be back before sunset." 625 said. "626 will be back, he knows better." Jumba said confidently. "So you accept my bet?" 625 asked. "You bet." Jumba answered. "Deal." 625 suck his paw out, Jumba leaned over fron his chair and shook. "You know you're going to lose." 625 informed him. "Yep." Jumba replied sarcasticly.  
  
The clearing in the jungle was actually a flat hill, over looking the ocean. It was a magnificent view, the setting sun nearly seemed to touch the water. The huge red ball cast it's reflection down onto the twisting waters which distorted it. It slowly sank into the water and the light dimmed, almost into nothing.  
  
*  
  
The two experiments had been poking arround the ruins for several hours. They hoped to find some thing important, or at least have fun while trying to do that. The ruins consisted of several stone houses in a circle arround a structure built outof wood and jungle debris is what is seemed like. 626 guessed it was a temple or something erected to honor a god, but whatever it was they were under it to avoid the setting sun.  
  
"I think we should be getting back soon, after all it's getting dark." the pink experiment informed 626. "Na, I can get us back in any condition, light or dark." 626 boasted. 327 shifted closer to him. "It's not whether you can get us back, it's what comes out at night that scares me. I mean we've only been here a few hours, we have no idea what things roam arround at night." she told him. 626 wiped the sweat off his forehead, he winced when he brushed some near his wound, it still hurt a little bit. He stopped to look at the jungle, the huge palm like trees and other variations of it, the ferny under growth and the vines that hung down from old trees a fine mist floated deep in the jungle, a humid mist.  
  
"Isn't it beautiful? I mean the jungle." he asked 327. "What?!" she stood up and shouted in alarm. "That blow did more dammage than first expected. First you were all, guts and guns. Now your actually enjoying the scenery?" 626 was shocked, he had thought since that one day in the space station she had wanted him to change. He shook his head in his paws. "There was one time once where you made me promise to change, to only do what I was created to do only when it was essential, when my life depended on it. I thought that is what you wanted. You wanted said it your self. Now I've changed, I don't know if I can pick up a riffle and shoot someone out of cold blood." 626 paused. 327 had sat down and was listening, her attitude totally changed. He laid back against the rubble. "Whenever I hit my head something happened. Something opened up, I was more aware in some odd way. I was told that most of my memory was lost, but I remember you, Dr. Jumba and very vaugely 625. I've read some of Jumba's notes, through the parts I can't remember. He describes things in great detail, he was writing about me once. '626 has returned from the complex...... the most disturbing part was that he was covered in blood, I feared that it was his, but upon closer inspection it wasn't his......this only tells me he is quite dirty about his work. He seems to kill without concern, to personally maul the enemies, or whoever he'd touched.' It was a very sick entry, it churned my stomach. I had so hoped it wasn't me that by some mistake I was reading some thing else. But I took it to him, and he confirmed my fears, that was me, before the crash. And I wanted nothing to do with it, I wanted to run away." 626 stopped. 327 had moved closer and was now holding his paw. A tear ran out of her eye, she quickly brushed it off.  
  
"But anyone could have told me to face my fears. I couldn't. I don't remember doing any of that, not one thing. The way I see it nothing happened, but Jumba's notes sugest otherwise, I did do it. I killed men, innocent or not, they're dead. And I can only wonder how I had lived with myself, knowing that I had killed. I can't even live with the fact that I could have, and I did. But whenever I forgot, whenever it all went away, it was gone. I have a second chance, and I'm not going to screw things up a second time. I remember that promise I made to you, and I don't intend to break it. But the beast that made me do all that is still inside, and I haven't found a way to kill it, every second it lives, it becomes stronger and the probability of a relapse is more likely." 327 was stunned, 626 had never mention anything like this, never. She was moved, after she'd seen him kill those alien in the space station ruthlessly, then he says this. She now had a small understanding of what he felt, and why he always wanted to be alone sometimes. "You have no idea what it's like. You'd killed out of necesity, I killed because I could. I......" the blue experiment quivered. 626 started shaking, he didn't want to talk about it. Tears formed in his eyes, he turned so that 327 couldn't see them. 327 was throuroughly stunend. She tried to offer him some comfort. "I, had no idea. I-" "Now you know." 626 sniffed.  
  
"It's over now, done and gone. All we have is here and now. Let's make the most of it. Let's re-write this horrible chapter." 327 touched him. 626 turned arround. "I guess you're right, what's done is done, nothing I can do but stop it from happening again." he gave a dis-hearted smile. "Alright." 327 finalized it.  
  
327 stood up and took a final look arround. She grabbed 626 and pulled him off the fallen rocks. "I really thing we should be getting out of here." she whined, "It's getting darker by the minute, and I don't like it." 626 nodded, "Fine, if you want to spoil the evening, we'll go." he picked up his Crytos and slung it arround his shoulder, it wasn't really the Crytos III anymore, Jumba had taken that one apart after it was empty and built another smaller one for 626, technically it was the Crytos IV, but what the hell. He was about to reach into his pocket for a piece of meat he'd stuck in there, and realized he'd never gotten a new suit from his stuff. He sighed and moved on.  
  
Now the forest was completely dark. No light could be seen anywhere, the two moons were hiding behind the clouds, and it didn't look likr they were comming out anytime soon. 626 had switched from normal spectrum of light to ifrared, but since the heat from the sun was soon swallowed up by the cold night he changed to movement spectrum and in combination with his antenna he was able to 'see' his way. 327 stayed close and tried not to lose him in the thick undergrowth, but it was difficult with all the ferns and the growing vines and such.  
  
327 stopped 626 for a second. They stopped in the middle of a dry creek bed. "What is it?" he asked impatiently. "Quiet !. I heard something." 327 shushed him. 626 watched 327 scan the area, straining to hear something in the pitch black. He also listened, but heard nothing. He remebered that anything alive at this time of night would give off heat, he then switched to the infrared spectrum. He looked arround the area again, he only spotted a small animal that posed no threat. "I'm sure it's nothing." he reassured 327. "No..." she protested. "I know I heard something, I know." She moved closer to 626.  
  
"D-do you hear that?" she stuttered. 626 strained again to hear. "No, it's not what you hear, it's what you don't hear." she told him. 626 again listened, he felt a tingly sensation in his spine, she was right. All the bugs that were chirping, they weren't anymore. It raised goos bumps under his fur. He also noticed the wind stopped, dead nothing, all was silent. 327 was almost ontop of him, "I'm scared." she shivered. "Are you sure the bugs were making noise before?" he whispered to her. "Sure. I promise." 626 unslung his C4 off his back, he put the strap under the front barrel and held it there. "Now we'll see if I really can shoot." he grinned. "Stay close." he slowly moved off.  
  
"Are you sure we're on the right track, I mean it only took us ten minutes to get to the ruins before. And we've been wandering arround for nearly three hours." 327 whispered from behind him. "I know, we're lost. I'll climb a tree to see where we are. Hold this." he passed his C4 off to 327. "I'll just hold it." 626 nodded and climbed up the giant palm tree.  
  
626 had a good view, he could see in ever dirrection for miles. He scanned for Jumba's ship. He saw the clearing, the opposite way they were going, Jumba had the tent set up and the lights were on. Although trough his magnified vision he saw no movement at all. The 'camp' was empty. He was ready to climb down to the floor and get 327 when he saw some movement far off in the jungle, and it was comming toward them, fast. 626 hadn't any idea what it was. He dropped down to the jungle floor.  
  
"327, we've been going the wrong way this whole time. We have to turn-" he stopped. 626 spun arround, looking for 327, "This isn't funny." he shouted. He was now getting worried something had happened to her. "327....?" he asked the cold unforgiving night. He swiveled hie ears all arroud to find some thing that would say she's still arround. He heard something breathing, breathing hard. He moved in that dirrection. He noticed the bugs were still silent, that was bad.  
  
He jumped at the sound of something moving in the nearby bush. '327?' he though worriedly. He switched to infrared vision. His heart sunk, the infrared showed a huge towering beast just beyond the bushes, and he didn't have his gun. The thing moved, slowly, toward him. His instincts told him to stay, but his mind didn't. He bolted off into the night.  
  
He got almost fifty feet when the beast lunged for him, 626 jumped out of the way and the huge form sailed past him. He was about to run again when something grabbed him and pulled him into the hollow of a tree. "Quiet!" hushed the thing that pulled him inside. 626 peered out of the hole, just in time to see the thing rush by. It flew by so fast the undergrowth didn't move untill the thing was gone from immediate sight. "327, Is that you?" 626 whispered, for fear that the thing might come back. "Yes, and here's your gun. I told you there was something out there." she shoved it to him. 626 took it and kept it in one paw. "Why didn't you warn me?" he asked sharply. "I did, you were up in the tree, I though you can take him yourself. He is pretty big." 327 replied. "And fast." 626 added. "We are going the wrong way, we have to turn arround. Let's go before that thing comes back." 626 grabbed 327 and rushed out of the hole.  
  
Faster than anything the two experiments ran. Branches whipped past 626 face, he still had 327 in his paw. He kept the riffle in front to protect him from any big branches that were hanging low. 327 would look back every few seconds and shout something to 626. "He's gaining on us." she shouted. 626 ran harder, he could hear the beast breathing right behind them. He couldn't imagine what it would do to them when it caught up. "Only a few more seconds." 626 mumbled.  
  
He pushed on, running faster that 327 could, she was literally being dragged. He saw the clearing where Jumba had put the ship down. They exploded out of the brush and into the field of meduim heigth grass. 626 picked up 327 and shoved to toward the ship, he stopped. "RUN, Get to the ship!" 327 didn't protest. She turned back to see what 626 was doing. He had stopped several feet from the edge of the jungle, he raised up his riffle and fired. The light from the weapon cast shadows of them on the darkened cruiser, it lit up the field with a yellow glow. 327 stopped to catch her breath. 626 waved the gun back an forth at the brush, cutting down anything the C4 was pointed at.  
  
626 only stopped when the barrel was red hot, and emitting alot of heat. The forest in his imediate path had been leveled, hundreds of trees had fallen, nothing stood over two feet high. He watched the jungle where he'd cleared a swath out. Nothing moved, only the occasional branch fell. 626 thought he heard 327 calling him. He turned to make sure. She was calling him, but he couldn't hear. The gunfire had deafened him momentarily. 327 ran and embraced him, being careful of the gun. 626 knew she was crying, but couldn't hear. He stole a look at the Cruiser. The light were off, and the tent that had been erected was trampled flat.  
  
"It's over now. The thing is dead." he patted her back.'I hope.' 626 thought. 327 let go of him and brushed away the tears in her eyes. "I don't want to live here. I want to go back to the lab. I don't want the jungle or an ocean on a planet alone,I want to go back to Turo." 327 sobbed. "Hey, were here now. And you're not alone, I'm here." 626 reassured her. "But now we need to find out where Jumba is."  
  
626 first checked the tent, when he found nothing he advised 327 to seach the ship with him. They both searched in vain, Jumba was nowhere, the scanners weren't picking anything up. "I don't think he's here. On the planet I mean." 327 said, staring at the screen. "I think that armada of ships has something to do with him." 626 thought for a second. "Or that thing that was chasing us. It could have got him." he suggested. 327 stared at him, "I like the Armada idea better." she scowled. "Ok, ok. You win, the armada." 626 lauged. "You have changed." 327 remarked.  
  
"I vote we stay here for tha night, then fly up to the ships and see if we can find out anything." 626 suggested. "Sounds fine." 327 yawned. "I'm going to get some sleep." she walked back to Jumba's bed room, and shut the door. 626 yawned too, he was tired. But before he wemt to bed he had some things to do. He started by going down to the storage and getting a new combat suit. He quickly slipped into it and grabbed a backpack that looked like it had belonged to him at one point. He spilled the contents only to find another combat suit, but it had been worn at one point. '327' he thought. Now that his mind had been opened up he was able to actually express his emotions for her, but since everything was hectic there hadn't been any time to say it to her.  
  
There were also four federation blasters, one was bent out of shape and was too far dammaged to be of any use. He found somthing he'd remembered, the CH-6, that was onething he'd never forget. He set that aside by his C4 and continued to search. He found several grenades, other than that nothing else usefull. His stomach growled, then he remembered that he'd had nothing to eat in the last day or so.  
  
He raided the small icebox under the sink, and cleaned it out. He ate everything. He suddenly felt sleepy, that after a meal feeling. He climbed up onto the couch and re-arranged several pillows to his liking then flopped down on them. He fell into a deep sleep.  
  
* * *  
  
"Dr. Jumba Jookiba, we meet again." a voice from the shadows boomed. A huge form stepped out from the dark area of the prison cell, it was slightly crouched. Jumba groaned from the floor of the barred cell. His head was swirling in a sea of tranquilizer, the effects were starting to wear off slowly. There was a cold feeling in the cell, and he guessed it was made of stone, he was probably in one of the ruins. "Welcome to the world of the living, Dr." the huge form said. Jumba slowly rose to his feet and drunkedly staggered arround untill he caught hold of the bars of the cell. He tried to focus on the huge alien outside, but all he saw was the world swirling arround. He tried to clear his head by shaking it. "Who......are you?" he asked the shadow outside his cell. "You don't recognize me?" the male voice questioned. Jumba groaned. "Captain Gantu." he said with great displeasure. Gantu stood up straighter when he said that. "The one and only." he smirked.  
  
"What do you want? Don't ask about 626, he didn't return from a walk in the jungle. He's lost somewhere out there." Jumba immediately told him. "Oh, too bad." Gantu said unsympatheticly. "We were hoping you would know. Wouldn't want him to die before his trial, there are horrible things out there at night." Jumba tried his best to look puzzled, but the tranq was making it hard. "Wha da you mean?" he slurred. "You have no idea. Tonight a mutated, failed try at duplicating your 'experiement 626' roams the jungle, and his only order is to bring back 626, dead or alive." Gantu snarled. Jumba let out a small drunken laugh. "626 is able to take care of himsef, heel be able to keel it."  
  
"Your initial tests on 626 were primitive and undecisive, they proved nothing other than he could shoot up the joint faster than anything in the galaxy. We were able to salvage most of the information from the dammaged computers. We compared the test to our abomination, 626 is as good as dead." Gantu chuckled. Jumba got worried, they had salvaged some stuff from the computer, enough to get the Council to get the armada out here searching for him. Jumba laid down on the bed and rubbed his temples. "It's all over, Jookiba." Gantu said, then left the cell.  
  
* * *  
  
He slept what felt like minutes before he was awakened, but it was actually three hours. He was rudly awakened when the alarms went off. "327! It's too early for this shi-" he opened an eye, it was still dark outdside and 327 was emmering from the bedroom a groggy expression was interrupted by a yawn. "What?" she looked at him quizically. The blue experiment sat up. "If you didn't, then..." he jumped up and ran to the security panel. 327 followed.  
  
"Something has set off the motion sensors." 626 announced after looking at the panel for a few seconds. "By what?" 327 tappe the keys, trying to find the answer. 626 jumped on the sill to the window and looked out into the blackness of the night. He switched to infrared spectrum. He nearly choked, the same thing that had been chasing them, it was out there. It was hunting them. 626 jumped off the sill and hurried over to the couch wher ehis C4 was sitting. 327 appeared beside him, wearing the combat suit he'd pulled out of the pack a few hours ago. "There's that thing out there. And I don't think he's here for the cookies." 626 joked. "Here." he handed 327 the three remaining blasters. He picked up the C4.  
  
"We can't stay in here, it'll just try to get inside and destroy the ship in the process." 626 hefted the weight of the CH-6 up into the air. The whole ship shook from the impact of something heavy. "You'll really kill this thing?" 327 asked, remembering the conversation in the jungle. "If this is what I think it is, I'll have no problem ridding of him." 626 informed her. "Let's go." "Wait, what do you plan to do?" "Go out there and hopefully hit him this time." "And what am I to do?" "Get his attention, while I try to kill him." 327 sighed. "Hit the lights." 626 reached over to a switch by the door, the outer flood lights turned on. Not three seconds after they'd turned them on there was a horifying howl. "Lock and load, he doesn't like light." 626 said, opening hte door.  
  
'Draw his attention, got it.' 327 remembered what 626 said. 626 bolted out to the field to get a better look at this thing. The pink experiment ran a short distance away from the ship and shouted. "Yo! Over here!" The huge ugly beast that was clinging onto the ship growled at 327. It turned to jump at her. 'Oh crap.' 327 rolled to the side. The uglified beast flew through the air at an incredible speed. It brushed by 327. "Whoa!" she exclaimed. She thought twice about shoting at it.  
  
The thing rolled into the field, clumsy as it was. The field lit up with the fire of an automatic weapon. The thin blue streaks struck teh beast head on, right in the chest, but seemingly had no effect. 626 continued the bombardment untill it got closer, then he stopped. He then slung his C4 on his shoulder and began hand to hand combat.  
  
327 felt a wave of pressure pass her and move through the jungle, shaking the trees as it passed. She looked over to see if 626 was alright. She saw a blue haze arround 626 and the beast-thing. Both were moving too fast to comprehend, it was like battle in fast-foreward. Her jaw dropped, this was an astrical anomoly of huge matter. 626 had broken the time continueum and was fighting in, space-time, where things could move slow or fast. 327 had heard about this once. Some one had broken the continueum of time and moved with the utmost speed, too fast for anything to see it in real-time, it all looked like blurrs. 626 had somehow done it.  
  
From the looks of the fighting, 626 was winning, and he hoped it stayed that way. Somehoe he'd broken the tiem contunueum and was fighting the beast in. He was dodging whatever the beast threw at him, Jumba's chairs, rocks. After a few minutes he began to realize that in here everything was twice as fast and three times as hard. The ugly beast dog threw himself at 626 again and only missed by inches. 626 planned to test his theory. He picked up a small rock and barely threw it. The rock sailed through the air and hit the beast on the shoulder. It reeled as if stuned by a huge boulder. The blue experiment grinned.  
  
He whipped the C-6 off his shoulder, and leveled it at the hairy beast. He set his foot back to absorb the shock from the recoil. The thing released a nasty growl, it saw what 626 was trying to do. "That's right, eat this." 626 aimed and pulled the trigger, the force of the gun flung him back several inches, and pushed him into the ground a bit. The blue sphere of elecrisized death traveled toward the beast. It struck him right in the chest, but didn't explode, instead in lifted it off the ground and into the air. He sailed for several hundred feet, then the blue orb stuck to his chest exploded.  
  
The explosion rocked the earth where 626 stood. Blue light bathed the area of the planet in the darkness. Out of the blue fired explosion the thing fell, six hundred feet to the jungle floor, leaving a trail of black smoke on it's way down. The tall grass in the clearing was suddenly sucked into the place of origion, where the anomoly started. 626 fell back into real time, the blue haze dissappeared with the rip in time.  
  
626 noted the area was visibly lighter, that meant the sun was comming up. 327 approached him. "Is it dead?" "I think so." 626 put his arms arround her. "Let's go find Jumba." 327 urged. "Wait, I want to see this. The sunrise." 626 stopped her. "I've never really stopped and watched it, ironic as it is." he mused. 626 watched as the red disk of life slowly rose above the surface, it turned the jungle into a humid place crawling with life. He sat in complete awe, this was the thing he was missing all the time. To take the time to wonder at the great awes of the universe, to look at the small things and appreciate them.  
  
327 grabbed 626 when the sun was fully up and dragged him halfway to the ship untill she got some cooperation from him. The two got aboard the ship, 327 took her place at the radar and the 626 took the pilot's chair. He went through the procedure to take off. The masive engine roared to life. The ship jumped off the ground, pushing all the grass down as it went. "We'll start by circling the planet, scanning for Jumba, he shouldn't be too hard to detect." 327 announced. She turned several knobs of the radar, the immage of the area materielaized in a three-d immage. Small animals were little blue dots, meduim were red, large were yellow, and Jumba was a black arrow. "626, turn left. I'm getting a reading." she instructed. The ship lurched as it turned and the deck tilted. "Slow down!" 327 shouted.  
  
The ship came to a dead stop, 626 set it on auto pilot and went to see what 327 had found. "It's Jumba!" 327 squealed. "Right below us too." 626 added. He ran over to the window and looked out. "Right down in that anchient temple." he pointed. 


	20. Nearing the End

Nearing the End  
  
The giant temple was two large sanctuaries, set diagonal to eachother. A crumbling stone wall bordered them, stretching far out into the jungle, where over time had grown over the well kept gardens and ponds. Only the inner walls of the sanctum were left in fairly decent order, keeping the jungle at bay for thousands of years. A series of high walled yards and weeded gardens were the main structure of the inner sanctum, each a maze leading to the main temple with thier own stone pathways leading into it.  
  
This was it. The end was nearing. Jumba was down inside the old temple, probably hidden inside some old room with bars baracading him from getting out. 626 and 327 were hell bent on getting him out, 625 was also down there, but both of them had thier doubts about getting him out. They decided not to look for him, they would only rescue him if he was in thier line of sight.  
  
626 landed the cruiser carefully in a gigantic stone courtyard on the east side of the temple. They would need the ship to get off the planet later on. Aside from leveling everything in his path 626 saw no reason for extensive planning. He grabbed his Crytos and the CH-6, he didn't need anything else he'd grown adapt to the two monsterous weapons, using each of them in thier own deadly way to the most efficient manner. 327 had two Federation standard blasters, both set on stun. They lowered the docking bay doors, hoping to recieve a cold reception, but the yard was empty.  
  
Talk was scarce, neither 327 or 626 dared to talk, they just covered thier own backs and moved slowly from walled garden to walled garden. 327 sturgled to comprehend the military signs that 626 used to dirrect her. Although she had basic training, but over time the battle tactics faded away to computer skills. After a while they did come back to her, the important ones anyway.  
  
"We're getting close." 626 whispered. 327 nodded. "Would you like to split up" We'd shorten the search time and have more luck." he suggested. 327 peered out of the doorway and into the next segregated area. "No, I'd rather stay with you." she pulled her head back in. "What do you suppose we do about the gaurds?" 327 asked. "Nothing, we waltz up there like we own the place. I they give us any gruff and try to dazzle us with thier weapons, we smoke'm." 626 said. 327 gave him a skeptical look. "Are you nuts?" "Nope." 626 grinned. 327 sighed. The blue experiemnt waved her over to the other side of the doorway.  
  
626 looked out to asess the area. Two soldiers in heavy armor and supressive weapons stood at the top of the hundred or so steps, giving them a complete view of the area. Near the bottom was a gaurd tent with three privates with relatively powerless weapons. 626 figured he'd get some trouble out of the heavily armored ones at the top, but hey, he had his CH- 6.  
  
62 motioned 327 to walk out slowly, they bot emmerged from the door way simultaneously. The soldiers at the bottom of the stairs acted predictably. They took up thier riffles and aimed them at him. "Who are you? What is you business here?" one asked. 626 stayed silent for a minute, that really bugged the soldiers. "Speak!" he yelled. A slight grin was all 626 could do. "Some call me Experiment number six hundred and twenty six. But you can put you weapons down and run." 626 said. "What seemes to be the problem?" asked a small radio on the pravate's shoulder, the voice was comming from one of the soldiers on the top of the stairs. "Seems 626 has shown up." he spoke into it. The radio spoke again, "Captain wants him dead. Kill him." The soldier nervously adjusted his grip on the riffle. He paused. "You can run, or die here." 626 told him flatly.  
  
The privates nervously waited, they'd seen the tapes, what this thing could do. 626 still waited for a move. "You IDIOTS!" the radio shouted. "Now you're all dead!" the radio fuzzed. "Hit the dirt!" the private said, and rolled to the side. The ground before them was torn up with automatic fire from the gunners up the steps. 626 rolled to the side, shooting as he went. 327 rolled the opposite way, firing too. They both were covered by the safety of the huge statues on squared off rocks. The fire continued, except he was one gunner short, 327 had scored a hit on one. Now the loneyl support gunner sat up on the top of the steps, looking down, and trying to hit the two aliens.  
  
626 occasionally stuck his Crytos out fired a few rounds. 327 was trying to get a good hit of the guy, but was failing miserably. "Give me a distraction and then I can hit him." 327 yelled over the fire. 626 nodded, and jumped out from behind the statue, firing aimlesssly up at the soldier.  
  
The automatic fire now swung toward 626 who had presented him self as a target. Shots danced arround him as he was trying to dodge them. 327 went prone and aimed for the gunner. Her concentrated aim was paid off with a shot to the head, stunning the soldier and giving him a bruise he would never forget. "We should have rung off the alarm, shooting up the place like that." he said, suspecting something was up. "Now, let's get inside and find Jumba." 626 said, after conclusing that all the opposition was gone. "What about them?" 327 pointed to the soldiers cowering behind some rocks. "What about them." he said. "I don' have time to deal with them right now. The sooner we get Jumba the sooner we can leave." 626 pulled 327 toward the steps.  
  
When the two experiments reached the top 626's question was answered. The huge doorway was blocked with a giant shield that nothing could get through, even sound. It was a clear view to the other side, where the generator for the shield sat. "Look for a window." 626 commanded. Both of them looked arround for several seconds before 327 spotted one. She pointed it out to 626, it was way up on the temple's cone shaped roof, on a steeple that looked to be falling apart. "We'll have to climb." 626 stated. "You up to it?" 327 turned to him and grinned. "Bet you I can make it up there first." she boasted. "Fine." 626 grinned in return. "Go."  
  
327 though she had the head start when she caught the lip of an overhanging rock and flipped up several feet. She turned, half expecting 626 to be behind her. But she was worng, she looked up and saw him climbing faster than she could ever go. He reached the window and stopped, looking inside. "What is it?" 327 asked, noticing that he was staring camatosely. "It's a lab of some sort." he answered, looking down into it. 327 peered down too. She gasped, amidst the sea of equipment and the banks of computers moved scientists in biological hazard suits, alot of them. They mulled about a huge vat of something that was clearly maked as a bio hazzard. They all seemed pre-occupied, doing diferent things.  
  
"A lab? In the middle of a millinium year old temple? Aren't labs supposed to be controlled environments?" 327 shot a barrage of questions. "I know." 626 said. "It is, they have the atmosphere fairly stable inside." 327 have him a skeptical look. "It is? They are making chemical weapons and they leave the window open. I don't call that stable." she remarked. "No, there's a pane of glass over the hole." he assured her, and ran his paw over the seemingly invisible sheet. 327 shivered, "I bet you this is one of Darfinis Maurader's doings. A chemical plant in the middle of nowhere." 626 nodded, "It probably is. He's bent on destruction or domination of the galaxy. It is the perfect place too, no prying eyes or media, like the facility on Chenadiss. Some one needs to intervene and gather evidence to give to the Council and bust him, or assassination might work. I won't always be here to destroy his stuff, to keep him from doing it." he told her.  
  
327 took her eyes away from the window. "He had some pretty nasty stuff going on when I last hacked into his place. Besides, Jumba is down there somewhere, we have to go in." "First we have to decide, go in quietly. Or make a mess." 626 grinned. 327 rolled her eyes, "Let's try and get inside quietly, then when things get hairy we can get dirty." "Agreed." 626 said.  
  
626 ran his claw in a circular motion over the pane of glass, effectively cutting it. He half expected it to fall inside the lab, instead it got pushed out and was followed by a phoosh of air. That meant the lab was presurized positively, more than the atmosphere on the planet. 626 let 327 go first, and reminded her to be quiet. He went through next, not before tossing the glass plate out into the jungle. The scientist were still working, oblivious to the danger approaching them from the roof.  
  
Silently the two experiments crept over the white painted roof, hoping the scientists hoods covered the view of the ceiling. The air was full of chemical fumes that made the air thin and unwelcoming to the experiment's sensitive noses. Both tried to ignore it. Things went well, untill they got to the air lock at the bottom of the room. It was locked, and if they opened it, an alarm would sound. They had seconds to act before a scientist turned arround. 626 pointed out an air vent that ran along the top of the room and out to the other side.  
  
626 backed the screws out with a claw and pulled the grate off the wall. He let 327 go and then backed up. He screwed the grate back on from the inside. "It's dusty." 327 whispered. "Don't sneeze." 626 said, moving to the other side of the vent. He repeated the process and closed the vent back up. 327, once outside the vent, breathed in fresh air, the vapors in that lab were starting to make her light headed. "We need to find Jumba." 626 announced. "We don't even know where to start." 327 protested. "We stick together and do a room by room search of the place. Sound ok?" 327 nodded.  
  
* * *  
  
"Are we sure he's here?" A tall female figure standing in the shadows asked. The voice was some what softspoken, but very firm and sure. "I'd be willing to stake my rank on that." a male voice interjected. Silence followed. "Captain Gantu, you have the council's permission to take whatever you need to capture 'Experiment 626' and Dr. Jookiba. Take soldiers, take armored divisions, take anything, but you need to stop 626 at all costs. He has been running throught the galaxy for nearly four months, unhindered by any attempt for capture. He levels anything he touches, Chenadiss, the space station orbting Turo, now you assure me he is in the chemical weapons factory down there. Unless I'm mistaken and he's down there for a tour of the facilities you'd better get some men down there and stop him." The Grand Council Woman said, spitefully. "The attempt to capture him last night failed, he is still down there."  
  
"It would be better if I go down there alone and take experiment 626 for myself. He has neutralized soldiers, no matter what thier rank. He has passed squads of men undetected. If anyone should go down there it should be me." Gantu spoke, trying to get the Council Woman to calm down. "What makes you think you can take him single handedly, when, as you pointed out, he has been out numbered nearly one hundred to one and he has managed to turn the situation to his favor. What do you, one alien, have that can stop him when a whole amry can't?" she cut back. Gantu growled, "We have taken a permanent disliking for eachother."  
  
"So now it's personal." she stated icily. "N-no, it was never personal.... to some extent. Yes it is. But regaurdless I will capture 626." Gantu said firmly. "I see. You'd be best to take my suggestion and get down there captian." The Council Woman turned and headded toward the exit. Gantu gave a weak salute and raced out to the docking bay.  
  
* * *  
  
Quite alot of time had passed since 327 and 626 made their way inside the temple. If you had the time to look arround and actually study the intricate engravings carved on the stone walls, and all the other magnificent works of art made by the occupants thousands of years before you would amazed at the sight. But they were in a hurry to find Jumba and get the hell outta dodge that the two hadn't the time to look. They had searched two levels of the temple and were approaching the end of the third, only one more after that.  
  
626 ran along the stone floor, barely making any sound. He stopped behind a pillar and 327 ran past. He jumped out from behind it and passed a huge window that over looked the courtyard, he stopped. Out side in a different area of the garden was Jumba's red cruiser, in the adjoining area was a ship that had just set down, he felt a tingle in his head. Something told him that he'd seen that ship before, and it wasn't good. 327 had noticed he'd stopped and turned to see what was the matter. She, however, recognized the ship when she got to the window. "Gantu." she whispered venomously.  
  
626 felt a weight drop inside when he heard 327 say that. Now he knew what it was that he was afraid of. He knew why Gantu was here, and he didn't like it. "Last level to search, then we can leave." 327 said urgently, tugging at him. 626 unshouldered his Crytos and ran up the spiral staircase that started right after the window.  
  
The last and final area of the temple was huge, sitting under one of the enormous domes. Light seemed to pierce through the vaulted ceiling of the cone shaped roof, giving the area an unnatural glow. A raised stone alter with grooves cut into it was at the far end of the empty square room, probably a scarificial table. Shortly after the alter was a door where light came through, neither of the experiments knew, but it was a balcony that gave a full view of the area. Along one of the walls were barred cells for holding the victims, inside one sat a Dr. Jumba Jookiba.  
  
The two experiments ran over to the cell. Jumba sat up as soon as he heard them. "I thought you'd never find me." he grinned. "No time for familiy ceceptions, Gantu is here, and you can bet he doesn't want a cup of tea." 626 told Jumba after he bent the bars and freed him. "Then we must leave. If we hurry, we can beat him before we get trapped up here." No one said anything, they just ran.  
  
The three reached the main floor and were ready to leave. But they stopped, a scream froze them. It was a trapped female scream followed by a blood curdling growl. 626 immediately pointed in the general dirrection of the lab. Glass shattered, followed by at least thirty more cries for help. "Gantu?" 327 asked. 626 shook his head, "No, something else. It is back." "It?" Jumba echoed, confused. "Long story." 626 sighed, running off into the lab area. Jumba shrugged at 327 and both followed.  
  
Whatever was going on behind the panes of glass was hidded with a red sheet of blood. 626 nocked out the glass, with that gone the screams became louder. Inside the previously peaceful lab was in chaos. Tables turned over, shards of glass all over the floor, chemicals mixing together and creating deadly gasses. Amidst the chaos ran a huge creature, cutting down anything in it's path. 626 recognized it as the beast from the previous night, obvoisly not dead as he suspected. The thing caught a bio-suited scientist and playfully threw him up into the air and let him drop, hitting the floor with a sickening crunch, then it jumped on the body, tearing open the side that was facing up.  
  
626 jumped over the six inch barrier that held the pane of glass, some one needed to stop this thing. Jumba and 327 skidded to a hault when the saw the situation. Both turned and tried to find somewhere to hide. 626 moved slowly from table to table, trying to get behind the thing and give it what for. He moved arround the bigger pieces of glass, hoping not to knock into any of them. The boilogical agents, with the blood of the dead bodies, started pooling in the containing floor built to hold them inside the bio area and not sink into the grounds.  
  
626 got close enough to get a good look at the dammage he'd done the other night. Besides some singed fur and a minor burn mark, the weapon did nothing else, visibly at least. He was in position, close enough to touch it, hiding behind a table. He leaned out on one knee and aimed. The thing moved from it's activity of shredding a body and looked up to smell, it took one good whiff and turned to exactly where 626 was. It let out a low growl and lunged.  
  
626 had somehow frozen, he tried to pull the trigger, but couldn't. As soon as the thing jumped at him he moved, rolling through the pools of chemicals and prone on the floor. He then unleashed a barrage of rounds, straight at it's head. They did nothing but bounce off and take some fur with it. The beast was moving strangely, like it had a leg broken or something. 626 had no time but to move before he could really see what it was doing. Straight as a bull running toward a metator the thing ran, 626 had moved and it crashed into a table holding several large glass containers with variable liquids, sending them to the floor.  
  
The beast came again, 626 dodged, and in getting more time to see what was up with the beast when it kept 'dancing' arround the place. He noticed that it was trying to avoid the pools of chemicals on the floor. Aparrently they had no effect on 626 who had already been drenched while prone on the floor. He began to knock over every table he saw, to increase the volume of agents. Now nearly the entire floor was covered, the beast was cornered. 626 shot every drum full of liquid he saw. The beast climbed up on the walls, but fell because they were covered in a resistant coating. Very soon the floor was completely covered, the beast moved to a raised area in the lab. It growled accusingly several times at 626.  
  
"Gig's up. Just be a good dog and die like one." 626 grinned devilishly. He looked above the platform where it sat and saw what looked like a glass cover that looked like it was a cover for the platform. He traced the wires on the wall to a panel, he splashed through the poisins as he made his way there. The beast made an offensive-like growl, indicating that 626 was doing something he didn't like. "What?" 626 played. "Don't push this one? Ooops." he chuckled. The glass cage dropped down onto the beast, covering it. A mechanical click let 626 know that it was sealed to the floor.  
  
Once trapped the beast began to slam the walls, trying to get out. 626 moved over to it. A small hole in the top made him grin. The beast followed 626's eyes to see what he was looking at, trying to see a way out. Meanwhile 626 was carying over a huge hose from a tank filled with chemicals.  
  
*  
  
After 626 was done with that he went to find out what happened to Jumba and 327. Both were behind a stack of boxes. They felt relieved when 626 found them. "Is it dead for real?" 327 asked. 626 nodded. "It won't be bothering anyone again." 327 breathed a sigh of relief. She and Jumba emmerged from thier hiding place. "I'm glad that's over." "Yeah, we need to go, Gantu could be here at any time." "Wait," Jumba cut in. "What is over? and What was that thing?" 626 ran off, leaving Jumba behind. "No time to talk." 327 said, "Run, the ship is outside in a garden area." she convinced him to move. Both ran in the general dirrection 626 had. "You will tell me about this later though." Jumba huffed, running wasn't one of his strong suits. 327 didn't bother to answer, she just ran.  
  
They caught up with 626 who had slowed to a jog in order to let them do that. They neared the main entrance, where they could deactivate the shield and get to the ship. The group rounded the corner just in time to see a hope oblittering scene. Captain Gantu had just taken down the sheild and walked inside, the then proceded to raise it and pocket the remote.  
  
626 brought all his guns to bear as the enormous alien turned to see them. An evil grin crossed the captain's face. "Ah, you have been waiting here for me. How good of you. Oh, I hope you weren't going to get out this way, it's locked." he sneered. "Lower the sheild and we won't hurt you." Jumba announced. Gantu laughed, "Ha, you think you can defeat me that easily? You thought wrong." "626, deal with him." Jumba said coldly. Gantu's smiled slacked off into a neutral grin.  
  
The blue experiment stood stock still, gun still pointed at Gantu, unwavering. "626, you can wipe him from the face of this planet now." Jumba said, uneasily. 626 didn't answer or shoot, he was waiting for Gantu to make the first move. The captain's face returned to the confident smile, and crossed his arms. "So much for the ultimate fighting machine. Besides, your weapon would have no effect, my species has a hide that is as resistant to lasers as 626's supposedly is." Gantu stood steady, ready to move at a second's notice.  
  
For a second 626 thought about using the Ch-6, but then though different, the area was too small and the collapse of the temple would surely result. He relaxed his grip on the riffles, and slowly let them sink to the ground, his expression along with it. Jumba was ready to protest, but thought he knew what 626 had in mind. 327 had no idea what was going on, she pulled her blasters and kept them at the ready.  
  
Gantu moved foreward a gigantic step, he stopped only a few yards away from 626. "Come quietly, and that might sit well with the council..." He paused to let 626 shift position, and raise a gun. "Or go down with all guns blazing.." he pulled his gigantic blaster from it's holster at his side. 626 saw what he was doing. He fired a shot from the Ch-6.  
  
The blue ball passed over Captain Gantu's head, who had barely any time to duck. "Ha! You missed." he yelled, and began to fire a barrage at 626 from his cannon-sized blaster. The stone tiles dissappeared from where 626 was standing, he'd rolled away too fast for Gantu to even notice. The ground started to shake slightly.  
  
Gantu felt a heat on his back, he cringed and turned to see what it was. He was hit with a fair sized stone from the roof, then pummeled with fist sized rocks. He fell to the ground and was buried under a pile of falling stones. 626 had rolled behind a pillar on the side of the main hall. Gantu was now under the pile of debris and reaching the remote was impossible, the only way out now was to get to the roof and get the ship.  
  
Jumba and his two experiments re-grouped behind a pillar, just in case Gantu decided to wake up anytime soon. "Well," 626 said. "The only way out now is up near the prison cells, some one get through a window and get the Cruiser and bring it to the balcony to pick the rest of us up." Jumba nodded, "I agree. I'm not going to try and fit my body out of a small window." he said, indicating his large figure. "Are you sure that is the only way out?" 327 asked. "I could go out one of the other windows closer to the gardens, and meet you up there." 626 suggested. "Alright, let's not waste time." Jumba started out from behind the pillar.  
  
The three ran, 626 turned to see the pile of rubble that knocked out Gantu. He grinned upon seeing it. Then it started to move, and the hulking shark like alien underneath groaned. 'Time to go.' he reminded himself, and raced to catch up.  
  
327 and Jumba were already nearing the flight of steps up to the sacrificial area in the roof. Instead of climbing the three flights of winding stairs and catching up to them, he grabbed hold of a pillar that went all the way up to the third floor and climbed up. He paused to look back to the floor, Gantu had recovered and was starting up the first flight, rubbing his head from the looks of it. They had to get to the ship fast, otherwise they would suffer the wrath of Gantu.  
  
626 had no time to get out a window, Gantu was enraged and headed toward them at a blinding speed. He judged that there was no time to get through a window and get the ship to meet Jumba and 327 up on the balcony. He sped up the winding stairs, to the room where they rescued Jumba earlier.  
  
"Trapped." Jumba announced after seeing 626 hadn't gone for the ship. "What are we going to do?" 327 looked arround nervously for an escape route. "We can make a stand and fight." 626 suggested, moving his C3 into a more comforatble position. "Considering Gantu is extra large and that the weapons I have are of no use against him, we'll have to improvise." He looked arround the room for a weapon readily available. Jumba moved to the balcony to see if there was any way they could escape.  
  
626 had no luck in finding anything he could use, he would have to fight Gantu in hand to hand combat, a battle that could have been so predictable if it weren't for 626 unreal strenght. 327 and Jumba decided that it would be safer for him and 327 to move to a deserted cell and watch the fight from there.  
  
Gantu pounded up the steps, his blaster drawn. It was a tight fit for him to go through the door at the top, but he made it anyway. He grinned when he saw 626 mid-way in the room, waiting for him in a fighter's stance. The large shark-like alien moved across the room, covering alot of ground in one huge step. He pulled a small pair of handcuffs from a pocket and tossed them across the room, they landed right in front of 626. "The Council would most likely lean toward leniency if you go quietly." Gantu said to 626. "But you're so predictable, it looks like a fight to the end. I will ask one more time, put down your fists and come quietly. If you don't comply, I will have to use force."  
  
626 didn't move, he held the stance during the whole boring small talk. He was convinced that as soon as he was in the hand cuffs there was no telling what Gantu would do. He kicked them to the side and they hit the wall with a metallic clank. "So it begins." he muttered under his breath. "You dare defy me?" Gantu asked, partially alarmed. "You will regret ever being made, I'll send you back to the pits of hell where you came from." He raised the huge, cannon sized blaster and aimed for 626.  
  
626 had seen this comming, any soldier from the council always would think with his gun and not plan for the best. That is why he stood with one foot behind him and the other in front. He jumped into the shot, it flew right over him, barely missing his barbs, which were now horizontal because his body was in defence. Gantu saw his miss and shot again, firmly believing that this fight could be won by conventoinal means. He missed again, and this time replied with a volley of shots, no one going in any peticular dirrection, just toward 626.  
  
626 grinned between the shots, Gantu was getting aggrivated and loosing his head. He moved closer to the balcony, hoping Gantu would get within range so that 626 could throw him off.  
  
Jumba partially wanted to leave 626 to fight Gantu, and sneak past them to the ground floor with 327 and go. He feared for his own life, and now he was ready to give up and sacrifice 626 for him. He didn't dare move, Gantu and 626 were all over the room, engaged in a mortal combat. 327 would also stay behind, she wouldn't leave 626 for any reason, thus he couldn't leave. So he was stuck in the small cell with 327 untill the victor arose, and he didn't like it.  
  
Gantu started tiring fast, he was exerting all his energy just to keep away from 626, he didn't want to see what that little beast could do up close and personal. 626 was on the edge, ready to fall over from exaustion, but he pushed on, trying to get Gantu out of the way so they could escape. He knew if he failed and zonked out that all would be lost, and he would never see 327 again.  
  
626 jumped from side to side, dodging the incomming fire. He noticed Gantu's gun was starting to overheat, he moved again, this time he tripped on a hole that the blaster left when it hit the floor. He quickly recovered before Gantu could make any opportunity out of it. He noticed the floor was looking pretty beat up from all the abuse, a small smile crossed his face. He whipped the C4 from his back and began to shoot at what looked like Gantu.  
  
"Ha, nice try. Your gun is nothing, try all you want. You'll never bring me down like that." Gantu sneered and fired two more rounds. He noticed 626 was beginning to tire out, hopefull he would soon fall over from exaustion. He moved over a step to get out of the wildfire that 626 was laying. Although he wouldn't get hurt, it still stung like a beast. He watched 626 trace the shots over to his feet again. He moved again, while firing at him. 626 kept shooting at Gantu's feet, and he was getting aggrivated.  
  
Ha, the plan was working. He kept firing at Gantu's feet. His Crytos was over heating, he hoped it would only take a few more seconds, then Gantu moved again. He cursed. He moved his fire again, this time he couldn't hear much, the noise of the gun was being drown out by something, a loud noise. He brushed it off as nothing and smiled at Gantu who was now 'dancing' between the rounds.  
  
327 thought it was hopeless, 626 was going mad and shooting the floor up, that meant they only had for as long as the gun didn't break from excessive heat. She moved closer to Jumba, who looked down at her. "626 has something up his sleve, he'll get us out." Jumba said firmly. "I hope so..." 327 started to say something, but couldn't hear her words. A loud whirring noise filled the sacrificial later room.  
  
Gantu stopped firing, 626 also followed suit. Thier attention was diverted to the deafaning noise that now was the main attraction of the minute. Gantu scratched his head and mumbled something, but no one heard it. 626 was trying his hardest to figure the noise out, but he was at a loss. All five looked toward the balcony, where it seemed to be comming from.  
  
Slowly a huge red form rose out from below the balcony, it was monsterous, with a dome, shapped, head like appearnace. Then 626 breathed a sigh of relief when the black bordered wrap arround window came up, seemingly no one at the helm. Jumba's red cruiser hovered in mid air, the much hated 625 appeared in the window and said something which 626 read his lips as only one thing, 'I'm hungry.' He grinned a sight of relief.  
  
Gantu stared dumbly, he hadn't any idea what was happening. 327 rushed to the balcony and leapt the distance to the cruiser. She landed on it and began to climb over to the hatch. An angered expression crossed Gantu's face, they were about to get away. The pink alien appeared at the helm and pushed 625 onto the floor, she turned the ship so that the wing was nearly touching the stone overhang of the balcony. Jumba saw this and grinned, "Hooray for 625!" he hooted and ran the distance between him and salvation.  
  
"NO!" Gnatu howled, he lunged at 626 who's full attention was on the ship, he nearly made it too, except the floor gave way when he jumped. He now realized why the infernal 626 had been shooting the floor, he swore to get revenge. The stone fell, he tried to catch hold of something, the floor right behind 626. He succeded, the blue alien turned to him. "We win this round." he grinned. "See ya." he moved slowly to the ship.  
  
626 did that just to remind Gantu how much he had failed, and then rubbed it in. He jumped from the temple onto the wing and turned to see Gantu's massive finger's clutching the edge, trying to get up. He was ready to enter the door to the ship, but Gantu had somehow pulled his upper body up from the hole, and aimed the deadly blaster at the ship, determined to brin git down. "Eat this." he mouthed to 626. He pulled the trigger just before she slipped down into the temple.  
  
626 stared dumb founded, he tried to move, but so much adrenaline had been released during the fight, there was none left to help him here. He caught the shot right in the chest, the heat instantly burned his combat suit's triangular chest piece and the remaining area arround it. All his breath was pushed out with the impact and he was thrown into the couch on th eother side of the cruiser. The entire ship jolted from the impact. He was nearly ready to black out when 327 appeared in front of him.  
  
"Gantu..." he coughed. "Shot one last time....tried to shoot the ship, but missed." he breathed heavily. "Are you all right?" 327 asked, after inspecting him for any external injuries. "Yea, I think so." 626 groaned as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. A metallic like liquid filled his mouth, he opened his mouth to spit, but id accidentally drooled out the side. 327 jumped back, "You're bleeding!" she exclaimed. 626 nodded, "But my tounge." he wiped it from his chin. He slowly reached up to touch his nose, blood also dribbled from it and into his mouth. "What a day." he mumbled. 327 hepled him pull the remainder of his suit off and carefully mopped up the blood arround his nose.  
  
626 winced when he breathed in. "Think I broke a rib." he poked at his chest, he hit the spot and cringed. "Yeah, it's broken allright." 327 gave him a soft smile, "It will heal before tomorrow." she said confidently. "And thanks to 625 we're safe." That name brought question to 626. "How did he manage to start the ship and find us? Isn't he only concerned about his stomach, and what he's going to fill it with next?" "Yeah, he probably found a place somewhere deep in his disgusting fatty little heart where he actucally cares about us." 327 grinned. "Ah, whatever. At least we're safe, unless Gantu decides to get ideas and chase us. I'm going up to the cockpit." 626 stood up and slowly walked to the front, being careful not to aggrivate his rib. 327 helped him hobble up there.  
  
Jumba was in the midsts of piloting the ship and giving 625 the credit he thought he deserved. 625 was taking it quite well, he had his hands on his hips and a heroic han-of-the-hour look upon his face. 626 eased himself into he co-pilot's chair and breathed a sigh of relief. Jumba took one look at 626, his batle uniform was gone, some of the hair in his chest was singed and his nose was bleeding. 625 couldn't stand the sight of blood, he slowly slinked off into the back. Jumba landed the huge red cruiser in the clearing where it was the night before, he shut off all the engines.  
  
"What happened? You were fine before you came into the ship." Jumba asked alarmed. He set the timer for twenty minutes and swiveled his chair to face 626. "Gantu got one last shot off before he fell. I think I cracked a rib, its hurts whenever I breathe in." He told Jumba, pointing to the stop. "A rib? Most unlikely." Jumba touched the area, 626 pulled back in pain. "Hmmm...." he posed thoughtfully. "No mater, it will heal in a few hours anyway."  
  
626 laid back in the seat, relieved to be there and not back in the temple. One thing lingered in his head though, a question that needed answering. He turned his head to see 327 come from the kitchen with a cup of tea. Jumba grabbed it from her and drank the contents and handed the empty cup back. "You can always get more." was his exuse. "Jumba, what exactly was 625 doing in the cruiser back there. I know he wasn't interested in saving us, or was he?" 626 asked.  
  
"Probably not, as soon as we entered the ship he mumbled something about being hungry. Most likely he was just fooling arround." Jumba suggested. "But he knew where we were." "Coincinence maybe, or a lucky guess. He might have seen us go inside and heard the shots from the temple roof. Ask him if you really want to find out. But I'd rather not know what he was doing, there's probably something worng with the engine now."  
  
"Or he was trying to win some respect, by doing something like that." 327 added, sitting a good distance away from Jumba so that he wouldn't nab her tea again. "Where is 625 anyway?" 626 asked. Jumba and 327 turned thier heads to the back, taking a short glance and hardly any effort was put into it. "Who cares, he out of our hair for now." Jumba concluded.  
  
"Ok, another question. Where do we go from here. Zenon IV wasn't much of a secluded place, the Council found us there. Unless we disappeared for good they'll keep pursuing us untill the day we die. Personally I don't want to run forever." 626 said. "Neither do I," Jumba replied. "But it's thier move, we're stuck untill they do something. We have the entire Federation fleet above us, it's only a matter of time before they come down and overwhelm us."  
  
"Why can't we escape, and run through the blockade?" 327 asked. "They'd be all over us before we can brake orbit. But I don't think that's going to happen." 626 figured. Jumba and 327 gave him far-out looks. "Why not?" the two said in unison. "Gantu has been persistant about catching us for himself, most likely for a promotion, or increase in rank. The fleet is just there to back him up. I'd say he will be back, that fall in the temple was nothing. I give him thirty minutes to find us after he gets out."  
  
"You paint a pretty grim picutre, 626." Jumba groaned. "I am an evil genus, but not a combat tactician. Where to next?. I am trusting you will make the best descision." "Me?" 626 asked suprized, "I don't know. I've never been put in a spot like this before, I mean, I usually make my own descisions, but they aren't as important as this. If you really want my honest opinion, I think we should ge back to Turo, It's the last place they'll look. Also it might be the only other place that I can say I really know."  
  
"You might be right, you might be wrong. But it's looking like our only choice. 327 do you have any comment on this, what you think?" Jumba turned his attention to the pink experiment. "I really can't say no...can I?" she hesitated, choosing her words carefully. Jumba shook his head, "Not really, but other suggestions help."  
  
"Suggestions you want now, is it?" 625's voice floated from the kitchen. He moved closer to the cockpit so he didn't have to yell. "Why not take 626 and have him take over the entire planet of Turo. Ya` know, kill everyone and make it our planet, then slowly go out and conquer everything. Soon there will be nothing left to oppose us. Problem solved."  
  
Upon hearing this, 626 scooted farther from 327 in the cockpit chair, trying to make himself smaller. He didn't like the sound of what 625 said. He shifted uneasily in the chair, trying not to draw attention. Jumba gave a dishearted smile. "Uh, not the best course of action. Highly impractical, and at the most, impossible. But if he's up for it it could be done."  
  
626 felt eyes upon him. He was trying not to shake, but did anyway. "No, I don't feel up to it. I really don't think I can even. Hiding on Turo would be the best thing to do anyway." Jumba nodded. "626's logic is good. Turo it is." he started the huge cruiser and intiated the lift off squence by flipping the switches and turning several dials in a blindingly fast manner. The cruiser hovered above the ground momentarily before tearing up the air and speeding out into the atmosphere.  
  
The ship gained speed, hopefully to blow right by the blockade of star cruisers. They were all prepared for the worst, bracing themselves against anything they could hold onto. But Jumba and his experiments were stunned at the sight as they exited into space. "They're gone!" 327 observed. "Yes." Jumba said causticly. "But to where." 626 switched his vision into infrared and scanned the area, nothing but the icy cold black of space. "I don't see anything in a different spectrum of light, we're clear." he gaves the thumbs up. "Alright," Jumba punched in the legnthy code for Turo. "Hold on, sub-space in three... two... one." He pulled the handle down and the ship tore through the endless void at a speed previously uncharted by any standard. 


	21. Guilliotine

Guilloitine  
  
So it was decided, 626 had advised Jumba that the most reasonable course of action was to go to Turo, the last place in the galaxy where the Federation would look for them. It seemed the Federation was always one step ahead of them, they were always waiting for them at thier destination, as if someone had beed tipping them off.  
  
Slowly the gigantic red cruiser stopped in the void of space. It hovered several thousand miles beyond Turo, so that they couldn't be scanned by any passing ships and identified. Jumba, 626, 327 and 625 all sat at the table in the cruiser. No one spoke, no one knew what to say. All of them were scared, not knowing the outcome of whatever awaited them. 625 even knew the impact of the situation and was pollitely sitting at the table.  
  
Jumba looked over to 626. "Last chance to turn back. If you think this is a bad idea, say so and we'll leave and look for another place to stay." 626 shook his head. "We've come this far, now we're here, there's no turning back. Let's just land and get the hell out of dodge."  
  
Jumba nodded in agreement. "626, there is a pressing matter." Jumba stated. "Back there when 625 was talking about you wiping the planet clean of inhabitants, you started to shake and get nervous. I want to know what is up with that."  
  
626 felt like he was under the finger again. He pulled himself together, "It's a long story..."  
  
*  
  
In a fairly large unadorned conference room in the Hall of the Elders, sat Gantu and The Grand Council Woman. Gantu had been called there for business concerning his current military satus. Which he knew was bad news.  
  
"You let him escape again! Captain this is an outrage! I should have you dishonorably discharged. You... Oh!" the Council Woman fumed. She stopped before she got to much further, remembering that it was undignifying to loose one's temper. She breathed in, trying to calm herself. "Captain, I will give you one more chance to redeem yourself, it seems like the scientist and his genetic mutations have escaped once more. This time I fear they have dissappeared for good."  
  
Gantu stared blankly at the Council Woman, brushing off most of her words, he normally would have been rigidly at attention, but 626 was on his mind, and how he would extract his revenge when he caught him. He stood up to face the Alkaldia in more of a respectful attitude. "On the contrary, they've not totally dissappeared this time." he grinned. "Captain?" she asked, wondering what he had up his sleeve. Gantu produced a small datapad from a pocket, on the screen was the map of the planet Turo and the surrounding planets. "A while back, before that horrible lab fire I had a hunch and took the liberty to place a tracer on Dr. Jumba's labcoat, the one he almost never takes off." he slid the pad across the conference table.  
  
"I see." The Council Woman said icily. "According to this the doctor is floating right outside Turo's scanning range." she passed the pad back. "Yes, if he's thinking what I am then he'll probably wait untill night fall then land on a pad and slip away into the night. He knows that this would be the last place we'd ever look. And I would have never looked here at all."  
  
"I suggest you get on brining him in. This time I want you to take three troop carriers with soldiers." the Council Woman ordered. "But, 626 eats up troops like they are nothing, they'll all die. I don't think you want to tell the wives and families that they were killed trying to capture a genetic mutation." Gantu argued. "All right, you don't have the option of taking them. I am ordering you to take them."  
  
"But!" Gantu protested. "Good day captain." the Council Woman walked calmly out of the room. Gantu slammed himself down into the chair, hearing it crack upon impact.  
  
*  
  
Jumba listned for what seemed like hours, to 626 and his moving story of how he'd changed since the crash. Part of him was glad, because now 626 was no longer unhappy that he had done some horrible things that he had no controll over whatsoever. But part of him screamed failure, screamed defeat, knowing that 626 would no longer be what he was, what he had been created for.  
  
626 finished his long epic tale, then seemed to move closer to 327 who was enjoying the whole thing. 625 laughed from his seat histariclly, "That was good, unfortunately that was in the News Paper a week ago, under the B&S section." 626 shot him a look of acid. "Although I don't have a prefrence for maiming anymore, but I'll make an exception for you." he moved closer to the aquamarine experiment. "Ah! Not the face!" 625 shielded himself. 626 stopped before he got to far, he only wanted to make 625 whine. A grin spread across his face.  
  
"626, this sounds vaugley familliar. I think, with some time, that I could fix it. Get you back to what you were before the crash." Jumba said enthusiasticly. 327 whipped her head arround to face Jumba, "You touch him and I'll rip you limd from limb." she growled. "Whoa," 626 pulled 327 from off the table and placed her down on the seat. "I think what 327 is trying to say, it don't touch me. Isn't it apparent that from the looks that I'm happy the way I am now? Why do you want to fix it? Anyone who has found what they are happy with should remain there."  
  
Jumba was perplexed. Perhaps 626 was right, he did seem alot happier, more pleased with himself, instead of the old spitefulness that he was filled with before. Or maybe the dammage was too far extensive, and 626 was talking crazyness. He needed the time to check out the situation, but time was short, and he didn't have the proper equipment anyway, it was all in his lab that had been undoubtably siezed and the pirates took some. He was stuck between two walls.  
  
"We need to wait for night before we land, then it will be easier to get away from the docking bay without being seen and reported." 626 reasoned. "From the looks of it we have about six more hours to wait before we can even think of going down." Jumba nodded, "Six more hours, then we'll asess the situation." Everyone arround the cruiser's table nodded.  
  
*  
  
The six hours dragged on, seeming like they lasted for days. Jumba looked throught his magazines, 625 was bust in the kitchen, doing guess what? Making sandwiches. 327 and 626 were in the cockpit, whispering in eachother's ears while looking out at the stars. Eventually enough time elapsed that they could begin the descent to the planet under the cover of darkness.  
  
Jumba brought the ship into low orbit and waited for 327's report of the radar, making sure everything was clear for them to land, she gave him the thumbs up and he intiated the landing sequence. Jumba picked a quiet landing pad to put the massive ship down on, in the slums of the city. He picked the area because it would be easier to disappear than in the rich areas.  
  
"Contact on radar, the immage matches a ship we've seen bafore." 327 shouted to Jumba. "He's closing in fast. And he has us locked on target!" she heard Jumba groan from the front of the ship. The huge scientistwas ready to pull the ship back into low orbit and wait, but 327 shouted something. "Ten more targets, all short range fighters, all locked on."  
  
Jumba was about to punch the controlls in anger and defeat, but the beep of an incomming transmission stopped him. He pulled the link into action and awaited the transmission. The screen turned from black to color, and slowly focused on a huge shark like alien. Jumba's blood ran cold, Gantu. The shark-like alien gave Jumba a cold stare.  
  
"Ah, I see you have decided to come back to Turo. That was a mistake in itself, I'm guessing you let 626 decide where you should go, and he chose here." Gantu taunted on the otherside of the line, safe from 626 and his wrath. Jumba gritted his teeth, trying to think of a way out, he looked over to 626 who was watching the incomming video feed. He gave him a 'What now?' look. 626 responded by muting the microphone on thier side. "Best chance we have is on the ground, there's no way we could take them on in an aireal comabat. We should land and duke it out from there." the blue alien suggested. Jumba groaned, 626 had been wrong about Turo, was he wrong now? He saw no other alternative and decided to land. "Get ready 626. We're landing." Jumba said tensely  
  
626 disapeared in the back of the ship and Jumba un muted the comms. Gantu grinned, "We can stand off like this the whole night." Jumba put on a defeated face, a good one at that. "We give in, where do you want us to land?" Gantu grinned, things were going well, but 626 would be a problem. He grinned as a thought entered his head. "I want to see 626." he said icily. "Non compliance will result in a barrage of plasma fire, killing you all." Jumba grumbled in protest, but turned to call the experiment. "626, come up here. We need you." he listened for the almost silent patter of his small feet. "Yeah?" 626 reported, not knowing what was up. "He's here." Jumba said to Gantu over the comms. Gantu eased himself back in his pilot's chair of his ship. "Now inside your right pocket on your lab coat, you will find two pair of hand cuffs. I put them there when you were in the holding cell in the temple. I want you to out them on 626, and I want to see it."  
  
626 shot Jumba a look as the scientist reached down into his pocket, and true enough found the cuffs in there. He doubted Jumba was going to follow through, that would ruin the idea of the ground fight, but his hopes were shattered when Jumba brought them to bear. "Be careful, I had them especially built for 626, once they close, they can't be opened without this." Gantu held up a small remote like device. " The're also nearly indestructable. No accidents, or I'll blast you all to hell sooner than you're sceduled to be." 626 shivered at the seriousness in the captain's voice, he turned his view to Jumba, who was having several thoughts about what to do now. "Hurry up, I haven't got all night." Gantu rushed.  
  
Jumba continued to think, untill his thoughts were interrupted by the shaking of the cruiser as the shot hit, ratling everyone inside arround. Jumba recollected himself and looked into the view screen. "That was a warning, the next shot is real." Gantu growled. Jumba saw no other alternative. He looked down at 626 who was getting nervous as his fate was slowly being decided. "626... Take of the combat suit." Jumba choked back the tears. 626 took a small step back and lowered his ears in remorse. "But..." he trailed off and took another step back. "No.." he whispered.  
  
His mind was racing, he had to find away out, without getting them blown out of the sky. He also didn't want to go down in a quiet way, with his hands already cuffed, without taking out enemy soldiers. He always viewed his death or capture as dramatic, hundreds of soldiers comming in as he hosed them with plasma, he wanted to go down shooting. He wante da warrior's death. Now he was going out quietly, not what he wanted.  
  
626 found himself taking off the combat suit, without him knowing. His mouth went dry, and his head seemed to swim. He held back tears and subdued the urge to escape. He dropped all his weapons and pushed them aside. He suddenly felt cold, very cold although the ship was warm, he got the shivers. Nothing mattered anymore, nothing. This was it, this was the end.  
  
Jumba wa sready to put the cuffs on him when 626 stopped him. "I'll do it." he said, almos tin a whisper. Jumba put them on the floor infront of 626 and turned to watch Gantu watch 626. Gantu looked greatly pleased, watching in great interest, but kept a finger on the trigger of the ship's main cannon.  
  
626 picked up the first tubular cuff, it felt so cold, so much like death. 327's words echoed in his head, 'Once these things are on, they won't come off.' Then he felt like he got struck with a ton of bricks, 327, they'd get her too. Having realized 327 was also on board he was filled with rage. He shifted his priorities from getting out alive, to making sure 327 didn't end up on a deserted asteroid, it was no place for a delicate thing like her. He closed the first cuff over his lower arms, they clicked and beeped, locking into place. He continued with the dramatics and slowly pulled the second set up into position. He had a thought about jamming them somehow, but Gantu was watching and he still didn't under stand the principle of how the restraints worked anyway. 'Here goes nothing.' he slipped his last paw into the end and locked it into place. Another beep and click, his fate was sealed. It was a strange feeling, having no controll over his arms anymore, no more freedom, just cold restraining steel.  
  
He didn't know what to do now, so he just stood there. Jumba turned to the console. "That will definately sit well with the Council." Gantu told him. "Maybe there's some hope after all. But, anyway. Here's the co-ordinates for the landing pad." Gantu pressed some buttons and the map appeared on Jumba's screen. "Don't get any ideas." Gantu's immage disappeared.  
  
626 first instinct was to get out, at all costs. He began pulling and grunting as he tried to get the cuffs off. He growled and thrashed on the floor, when that didn't work he tried biting them off. He scraped metal against tooth, but didn't make a scratch. He tried every trick in the holographic word displayer, but nothing worked. He even went as far as dis- locating his wrist, but he got nothing but pain. He felt like beating his head on the floor in defeat, he did, untill he hit the scar tissue under his skin and sent a jolt of pain that paralized him for a second.  
  
"It won't work 626, just sit back and enjoy your last minutes of freedom." Jumba growled to the alien. 626 was now convinced he was destine to live out the rest of his days in the steel bonds. He now had something else to take care of. He moved to the back of the ship where 327 was sitting on the couch.  
  
The pink alien spotted him and sighed. "There had better be a good explanation for this." she indicated the hand cuffs, unrealizing that Gantu had ordered it, but she knew they were going to land in a Federation controlled area. "Yea, Gantu ordered it, otherwise we'd have been food for the tiny micro-organisms." he said in disgust. "Well if you need help getting out you're SOL, those electronic cuffs are out of my comprehension." she informed him. "No, my fate is closing to an end, but I'll try my hardest to get you out of here." "What do you suppose we do?" 626 paused, no longer able to scratch his chin in thought he still bore a resemblence to it. "Hide, get low. I don't know. I can't think anymore. Just find someplace to hide, anywhere. Get away. Take 625, or he'll give you away."  
  
327 jumped from off the seat and hugged him, arround the hand cuffs anyway. She proceded to give him a long passionate kiss. "This is it. See you on the other side, sometime." 327 started to break out in tears. "I'll save a spot for you." 626 grinned, trying to make light of the situation. "Go before we land. And take my Crytos, I won't be needing it anymore." 327 turned before she burst into an uncontrollable tear filled sorrow. No time for tea and sympathy, just action, ther ewill be plenty of time for tears later. 626 moved slowly up to the front of the ship.  
  
Jumba watched 626 try to climb up in the co-pilot's chair, but couldn't, so he gave him a hand. "Hey." Jumba whispered. "It's just us, me and you." 626 announced, "327 and 625 are getting out, or hiding, whichever they can pull off." Jumba didn't want to start a conversation, it would only be in vain. He just focused on flying.  
  
Something didn't seem right. Something still lingered in 626's head, something someone had said that would help him here. He tried to think. He moved throught all his memories stored in his head, they passed like movies, each one different. He saw immages of Jumba, 327, and Maurader, immages of death, immages of objects he'd seen. Every moment in his life was stored in his head, he passed the memory where he was sent flying in the air, then black. That made him cringe, he should have died, the impact was enought to bend the frame of the ship, he should have been splattered all over the place. He was ready to give up, and the thought entered his head. "I'm no good with these electronic cuffs, they're way beyond my comprehension." 327 had said that minutes before. But why was it important? Why had it been called to his attention. But for whatever the reason he wasn't sure, he just let it hang there.  
  
"Three minutes untill we reach the landing pad. If you plan on doing anything, do it now." Jumba said causticly. 626 took a glance out the window. They were traveling over the wealthy part of the city that was full of lights and rooftop pools with numerous parties just getting started, which meant Gantu was sure he had everything under controll, but 626 was going to make sure he gave them hell, either way. The ship floated toward the biggest landing pad in the entire city, well it actually was three two hundred feet platforms each sitting ontop of four huge poles above the city, they ended at the side of a building and a huge door was carved into the side. There were already two huge transport cruisers that were spilling out the Omecian lizzard troops that the Council loved.  
  
He was getting nervous, time was running out and he still hadn't thought of a plan. He was starting to sweat, and shifted uneasily in the seat. Now he was just in plain panic, seconds from just screaming in defeat. Then the phrase 327 said popped back into his mind. "Electronic cuffs..." He knew the way out was in there somewhere, but was frustrated because it wasn't obvious for him to figure out. Then he stopped, "Electronic..." HA, that was it!  
  
Jumba watched 626 fall to the floor and collect himself as fast as the restraints would allow, then run off to the back of the ship. Jumba thought he wa strying to escape, but it would be in vain. He sighed and started the landing seqence. It was dark already, and to make things worse, the clouds that were holding in the precipitation realeased it, a steady rain poured onto the pad and ran off the ships.  
  
The ship touched the pad with it's landing gear and the turbine engines slowly whined to a halt. The soldiers took up a defensive line arround the cruiser, carefully aiming thier riffles towards it. Each soldier knew what the was inside the ship, restrained or not it was dangerous, and no one wanted to get that night. The huge hulking form that was Captain Gantu moved slowly from the shadows. He stood in the center of the pad and crossed his arms infront of his chest, in a way taunting Jumba. A smile cracked across his face whenever The side hatch swung open on rusty hinges, the sillouhette of Jumba in the doorway.  
  
"Come out slowly, 626 can come out last." Gantu called to the scientist. Jumba stood there, as if he hadn't heard him. "I said OUT!" he pulled his gigantic blaster. Jumba still didn't move, Gantu was getting nervous. Had 626 found a way out of the restraints and planned something? He continued to hold his steady aim on the scientist. Rain splattered off his form and dribbled into his suit, getting him wet.  
  
Something caught Gantu's attention, a small object flying through the air, it was to small to be 626, but he aimed up as a precaution. The object landed infront of him and clinked as it hit the ground. He bent down to inspect them. He was dumbfounded, they were the cuffs he watched 626 put on himself. He stood up and put the cuffs into his pocket, and brought his blaster to bear. Something was sour.  
  
He listened for something suspicious. Nothing but the sound of the rain pounding on the pad and the metal hulls of the ships. A fast gust of wind knocked him off balance for a moment. He saw a bright flash of light on one of the other pads adjoining his, he turned. The back up troops firing at one of thier ships, trying to hit something. '626' the words echoed in his mind like a bad memory. He gritted his teeth as the viewed the tropps continue thier fire.  
  
Then something happened. The pad turned a bright white and a concussion wave knocked Gantu to the pad. The light disappeared and was replaced by the clap of an explosion, rocking the ships on the other pads. Pieces of shrapnel rained down in a radius of thirty feet. The smoke was drowned out by the invasion of the rain, but the smoldering remains of what was three transport cruisers were burning in the rain, fourty five men, gone. He saw a gigantic hole in the center of the pad, and felt the ground shake. The platform folded in in itself and rained down huge concrete pieces onto the vilas below.  
  
Gantu spun arround, looking for 626 who was sure to be trying something on his landing pad. He looked arround the ships, following thier outline. He stopped, up on the tailfin of the transport he saw the outline of the monster, four arms and big ears, that was 626. He opened fire with his blaster, confusing the soldiers arround hin, them seing he was firing on his own ship. He stopped firing for a second, to give orders and see what remained of 626. He was stunned, the onlything he suceded in doing was disabling one of the ships, 626 had dissapeared.  
  
"Sir, what in the Omec Nebula are you doing?" the nearest soldier asked. "He's here, 626. Keep on your gaurd." Gantu ordered. "Sir." The soldier said/saluted.  
  
626 slowly slinked past a gaurd posted at the rear of the ship, only pausing to bring the back of his stolen riffle down over it's head. He had no plan, except to get off the pad alive with Jumba. He'd snuck out the airlock on the side of the ship and met 327 who was climbing down the thick permacrete pillar. He said a final good bye and told them to wait for him at the lab. He'd thrown a blaster on overload into the fuel comaprtment on the other pad, that produced the fire ball. Now he was getting closer to the landing strut of the troop carrier, he had it in his mind to pick the ship up, and or throw it off the pad.  
  
He would have tried a dirrect assault, but Gantu was there, and that was enough to make him back off and rethink the best course of action. 626 was withing spitting range of a soldier, he ignored his instincts to throw the lizzard off the ledge, two hundred feet down to the ground. Instead he concentrated on picking up the ship. He used most of his muscles to pick the ungodly heavy ship up. He readied to swing it like a bat, untill all the soldiers turned to him and aimed thier riffles. He grunted and swung the ship, scraping the ground. Sparks flew as the concrete on metal scraped huge gouges into the pad. He finished the swing and let the ship go, there was too much momentum for him to stop the thing without him going with it.  
  
The swipe had either took most of the soldiers off the edge or flattened them like pancakes. Gantu was left standing out in the open, with the remaining six soldiers staring stupified, thier comrades were gone. 626 was standing near the edge of the pad, in an offencive karate like stance, clealy unrestrained, and looking quite mad at that. Gantu growled and raised the blaster, he fired several shots at 626 who rolled to the side and returned fire. Gantu let his blaster cool off, he watched 626 pitifly fire a volley of rounds at him, all missed. Gantu couldn't help but let out a amused laugh.  
  
"Is that all you have? You haven't even hit me yet!" he taunted. 626 let his mouth curl at the end, taunting Gantu. "I didn't miss, you weren't my target." he shot back. Gantu looked arround him, the six soldiers that were lively a miniute ago were now dead, laying in a pool of expanding blood. Enraged, Gantu fired several shots at 626, who just side stepped them.  
  
626 brung his riffle from the lazy position across his shoulder and fired a burst at Gantu's legs. He knew it wouldn't do much, just piss him off. But he knew that Gantu couldn't be defeated by use of conventional small plasma weapons, he needed a cannon, but was short. He moved as Gantu vainly sent a hail of rounds his way. He only needed to get the big guy closer to the edge.  
  
The useless fire would get niether of them anywhere, Gantu was immune to the fire 626 shot and 626 was too fast for the sluggish plasma rounds Gantu's blaster fired. They could have fought all night in the rain, throught the next day ind into eternity. But 626 was hoping for a short battle.  
  
The two danced arround eachother's fire for several minutes, taking and giving fire, but no one scored a decisive hit, only making the other fight harder. The battle would end sometime, no one knew when. Eventually 626 saw his opportunity, he lunged at Gantu.  
  
Gantu saw it too, he tried to move, but couldn't. 626 came too fast. The blue monster pushed his legs back with an incredible ammount of stregnth for something that small. He felt one foot slip off the edge and then the other. He did the onlything he could think of. He grabbed the edge of the platform with both hands, dropping the blaster down into the void below.  
  
626 grinned, now he had the captian exactly where he wanted him. He closer to the end of the pad and peered over. Gantu was in a royal panic, holding on with only his fingertips. "The great Captian Gantu," he sneered. "Like life on the edge? Never knowing what will happen, adrenaline always ready to pump into your system at the drop of a pin. That's how I live. Unexpected suprizes all the time..." "Like this?!" Gantu let go with one hand and swung up to the platform all in one motion.  
  
626 was startled that Gantu moved that fast, and recovered from the near death position. The hulking form landed behind him, 626 rolled to the side, to try it again. But Gantu met him with a huge foot, right in the head. 626 was sent into a roll across the landing pad, flopping in sparadic dirrections. His journey ended when he crashed into the landing strut for Jumba's cruiser. H laid down for a second, disoriented and feeling like he was going to throw up. He felt the ground shake as Gantu got closer. He tried to force himself up, knowing that if the Captain got a hold of him, it was all over. He rolled to his feet and spit blood that had pooled in his mouth.  
  
"You'll never win. You were always a loser." Gantu prodded. 626 strafed to the side, weaponless after the kick. "When I get a hold of you, it would be in your best interest to want to feel dead." 626 moved away as he walked closer.  
  
626 started to see black spots in his vision, sometimes he only saw black, but relied on his other sences to guide him away from Gantu. He felt a pounding in his head and Gantu's annoying taunts began zoning out to a dull buzz. He kept moving, away. Soon he bagan to lose his footing, stumbling on nothing, his knees kept giving out. He hadn't any idea what was happening. He had to keep from choking on blood that flowed into his mouth and kept spitting. Gantu made a lunge, seing that 626 was slowing down. He barely ducked under the attack, a Gantu rolled and faced him again. He was reminded that his rib was broken by a stabbing pain in his chest.  
  
The giant shark jumped three more times, each time 626 was getting slower, and seemingly dumb. 626 was slowing down to the point of capture, but wasn't going to give in so soon.  
  
626 froze, he couldn't move, his breaths came in wheezing spasms. One by one his bodily functions had been shutting down, becoming useless. He couldn't think, he couldn't move. It was the end. 626 let go of everything, he stopped fighting and began falling to the ground as fast as gravity allowed, he went unconcious before he hit the ground.  
  
* * *  
  
327 had waited untill Jumba had landed the ship before sneaking out of the hatch facing away from the troopers. She had shoved 625 out first, to make sure it was safe, then the climbed out. After surveying the area she decided the best way to get out was down, then 626 appeared, said a short good bye and told them to meet him at the lab. He told them where a reciever and a small store of dried food was, and send them off.  
  
The two experiments said nothing as they climbed down the wet permacrete pillar to the ground. The rain bit into her fur, making her shiver, even though she had one of 626's comabat suits on. She thought 625 was equally cold, but he wasn't complaining, and she didn't want to have to deal with him anymore.  
  
The two truged through the dark city streets as the rain unrelentlessly poured down harder, steam was comming from the sewers reminding the two that it was bitter cold. Walking side by side they moved in the dirrection of the lab, hoping to reach it before sunrise, before the morning traffic and everyone was awake and moving about.  
  
The sun began to rise, filling the dark streets with a ray of light, 327 looked up, she caught the first glimpse of the lab complex. Transport cruisers had already begun un-loading thier cargo into the complex's seperate docks, the birds in the forest that the lab sat infront of began to sing thier morning song. 327 breathed a sigh of relief and straightened up for the last few hundred steps to the front door.  
  
Once inside they headed down the log corridor to the octagonal shaped room and approached Jumba's door. There was no need to knock, 327 punched in the code and the door slowly hissed open. The pink alien moved through the rooms, thinking it was spooky seeing them empty when they were usually filled with equipment and paperwork.  
  
"I'm hungry." 625 whined as they passed what used to be the kitchen. "Shut up." 327 growled. "We're almost there." 327 moved into the four way hallway that conencted the four sections of the lab, and looked up. On the ceiling was what appeared to be a mauled grate of some sort. "There." 327 pointed, 625 didn't care, he was hungry.  
  
The two climbed up the wall and 327 pushed open the grate which suprizingly was easy in the fact that the lab was built to contain the experiments, the early ones anyway. After 327 the experiments were too strong to be kept contained, but they stayed anyway. She finished the journey into the dark space and groped arround for a few secodns before turning her vision into night spectrum. She quickly surveyed the space. It was about five feet square with a small stool tucked into the corner that could be used as a couch for the small experiments. In the center of the room was a display screen complete with a keyboard and hand-to-screen interface device, power cables and other legnths of wire ran from the equipment into a ventrical cover, no doubt into the mainstream and nearest power scource. And as true to his word, there was as small crate that was filled with weapons. 626 had obviously planned for something like this, it had everything you needed, except a bathroom that was located on the ground floor of the lab.  
  
327 moved over to the computer, and was ready to log onto the mainstream but was stopped, a blinding white light made her cover her eyes in pain. She thought it was a trap of some sort. "I found the light!" 625 said, delighted in his find. 327 shook her head and returned her view to normal. "Warn me before you touch anything." she hissed at him. "Sorry." he backed off, not wanting to encure the wrath of 327.  
  
327 moved over to the computer and hoped it was attached to a power scource that hadn't been shut off. To her suprize it hummed to life as the colored icons appeared on the screen. She immediately got onto the mainstream and started a preliminary search for anyhting related to 626. Her efforts were rewarded by six items, most were old. "Monster attackes Chenadiss" and so on, but there was one new one. The title read, "Captain honored for capturing menace, fifty five Federation troops lost and ten civillian casualties." she shivered and opened the document.  
  
Captain honored, menace caught. Last night there was a tip off that a wanted alien would be landing his ship at platform 96 in sector three. Captain Gantu responded, heading for the platform on a whim, one that paid off. After the suspect destroyed an entire landing pad, along with fourty soldiers on it. The debris killed ten innocent civillians living under the pad. Two cruisers were destroyed before the suspect and wanted scientist who was riding aboard the ship were apprehended. "He was a lot of trouble, but he eventually ran out of steam and gave up." Those are Captain Gantu's words about the situation, nothing else has been released. Stop. End Document.  
  
327 began shaking, a cold ice-like feeling crept up her spine. 'No, he wouldn't.' were her thoughts. 'He wouldn't. Not 626. Never.' she wanted to lie down and die. But she couldn't she was too paralized to do much. It was too much, she denied all of it, and began to search for something else that said other wise. Furioulsy she searched, but found nothing. All the tears that had been held back now spilled out, she knew now the ending.  
  
There would be a few days between processing the evidence, a pre-appreance by Jumba and 626 before the real date the Council would get to judge, in which Jumba could plea guilty and get a lighter sentence than denial. And then 626 would get a chance, but the evidence against his was too much, tapes, records and first hand witnesses. Jumba could take the blame for 626, if the Council excepted that 626 was acting off what Jumba had taught him. Either way 626 was going to spend the rest of his days away from the real world, either in the mines on some god-forsaken rock, or in solitary confinement under maximum restraint untill he died, or even worse. Frozen in a block of molecular-reversal protien, where he would have full consciousness, but no controll over anypart of his body whatsoever, and any ammount of time in that state he'd lose his mind. Or the death sentence.  
  
There was nothing she could do but wait and hopefully hack into the feed from the pre and post judgement. Then from there she would know where to go, but it all depended on when and she also needed a ship. She forcefull threw herself onto the floor from her sitting position and sighed, trying to stop the flow of tears.  
  
* * *  
  
Darfinis Maurader, still played a key role in 626's fate, but it was considerably less after his stocks chrashed after the desruction of his space station and the labs and warehouses on Chenadiss`. Now he was drowning in the loss of money, and was vivibly hurting from it. He did the most logical thing anyone would do in his place. He used up whatever reserves and quickly bought out most of the high security prisons on a large number of asteroids and several smaller ones, just to cover his bases. But there was still one was to get his prize, and he was comitted to get 626 that way.  
  
He ordered all the remaining troops to assemble in the cruisers he had especially built for ship boarding combat. He also had contacts in the Council to notify him where and when 626 would be leaving. Now all he had to do was sit back and wait, all else had failed. And if this attempt was to fail, it would be the end, for him and everything he had worked to achieve.  
  
Now all troops were standing by, waiting for the word to jump into action and get 626.  
  
* * *  
  
He'd given up. And now he was going to pay. It was time anyway, he was sick of running, dodging the plams fire and shooting everything that made so much as an evil glance at him. After he'd fainted that was the last time he expected to see anything, he thought he was going to die before he awoke.  
  
The first thing 626 felt was cold, everlasting icy cold. It was painful, which made him smile inside, that meant he was alive. He tried to force himself up from his blind, death like state, and to face his captors and find away out. He was in darkness, and tried to open his eyes, and soon realized they were already open. He switched to night mode and after finding it was too dark to see anything anyway reverted to origional spectrum.  
  
His other sences kicked in one by one, and soon realized he was laying on his side on a cold floor, most likely a cell in a prison. He felt a rush of warm blood to his back and simultaneously his nerves spasmed, sending writhering pain into his head. After the pain had subsided he concluded they had him tranquilzed, too much by the later ammount of pain. His extra sences told him he was in a small cramped cell, and there was no way out.  
  
He moved to pull himself up, but his hands didn't respond, like they weren't there. He jerked his arm to find out, and to his annoyance he found he was in the arm cuffs that he'd thrown at Gantu. He knew Gantu did that out of spite, being in the cell was enough, but the hand cuffs were just for torture, or for the safety of the prison gaurds, they couldn't have 626 running arround unrestrained, able to escape without the aid of tools.  
  
Nothing to do but sit and wait. He then began to wonder if 327 made it to the lab allright. He'd broken his promise to meet her there later. Later, thinking of that, what time was it? He hadn't the means to tell he'd been out so long. Was it days? Hours? Or was he in a locker in Gantu's ship?  
  
Yime passed slowly in the dark recess of wherever he was, or atleast it seemed that way. Whenver you look at a clock and watch, time goes slowly, seemingly dripping at a deathly slow rate. But when you were occupied, time disappeared.  
  
Suddenly the door squeaked open, sending a bright light pain into 626's light sensitive eyes, he cringed and tried to get away from it. He pushed his head into the corner and kept trying get into it, away from the light. He heard Gantu chuckle at his pain. "Now I caught you. Time for payback for all the aggrivation you have caused me. Now get out, or I'll shoot you out." 626 heard the click of the plasma weapon the captain carried. He saw no other alternative.  
  
The blue alien jumped out of the hole and fell to the floor, ten feet down. He rolled over and recovered back on his feet. He let his eyes adjust to the light and saw he was in a detaining center, steel doors of all sized linned the wall, some were open and the other closed, other detainees were inside. The tall shark kicked 626 toward the door he was supposed to go into. Rather violently the captain closed the door and locked it tight. "I'm supposed to interigate you here, but instead I think I'll just deal out some pain on you." Gantu pulled a vicious looking metal rod with a button on one side.  
  
"Oo, a stick. I'm so scared." 626 'gasped'. "That's there you're wrong." Gantu said. "It's a laser baton, used to controll rioters. But on the highest setting the energy blade causes abrasion and lascerations." Gantu grinned evily, and moved closer to 626. The weapons hissed at the red blade appeared, then Gantu turned the dial up. Graduly the blade became whiter and crackled in the air, from the floor 626 felt the heat the weapon was giving off, he shuddered. As the shark get closer 626 realized that this was the first time he was afraid, and he realized why. He had no controll over the situation what so ever, he had no means of defending himself in any way, shape or form. All he could do was hope Gantu knew when to stop.  
  
A thought entered his head, a what-if scenario. Knowing what he knows now if he could go back, he would change. He'd do everything different. Then maybe he wouldn't be in the situation he was in now. He looked up from his thought and saw Gantu's massively muscular arm come down, the baton arced and flashed as it passed throught the air. He braced himself for the impact, but none came. He thought Gantu had missed, but was soon sent into reconsideration as the curve of the weapon came down and struck him.  
  
It wasn't a pain, or a hurt. It stung and flung him against the wall, which hurt more than the baton itself. The air was knocked out of him and he staggered, not going to wait for the next round. The next attack came, but 626 was ready this time, he rolled off to the side and the baton missed. Gantu thought it was his fault that the baton didn't connect, he swung again. He missed again. This time he knew 626 was evading, and faked an upper-cut then side swiped the little monster. He grinned at the results, 626 was again flung across the small room and hit the wall, but no visible effects on his blue fur could be seen, which was good in his favor because the Council doesn't approve of torturing the prisoners, and he got the satisfaction of giving 626 what for.  
  
"What exactly is your problem? What did I do to you?" 626 snarled, before Gantu swung the weapon. His intent was innocent, he'd never done anything to the menace, only when Gantu started it did he reply back.  
  
Gantu paused for a second in thought, but still held his animostuous expression. What exactly did he have against 626? He lowered the weapon to think the question through. There was no logical reason for this, or was there an explanation, only a cheap one. 626 had always presented himself as a disturbance, a sore toe. Keeping the Captain from his usual duties and disgracing him by fouling his carefully planned traps and escaping numerous times, each one more undignifying than the last.  
  
"No answer, I guess there is no reason after all." 626 said, as he sat upright, hindered by the restraints. "What is it? What makes you do things like this? Is it pride? afraid of hurting your dignity if you don't get your last kicks in. Animosity? You just hate my guts because I am better than you? Do you even know why you are doing this?"  
  
Gantu stopped. Why was he doing this? He brought up the weapon to bear. "I do it because, of you." he struck out, lashing 626. He watched the blue alien cringe at the blow. "I do it because you are smarter." he lashed again. "Faster." another whip. "You are better than me." He brought the baton down hard. He heard a satifying crack as 626 twitched in pain. "I do it because you are a genetic mutation." He sent a flurry of blows, each inflicting more pain than the last. "I do it because I, like you, get personal enjoyment out of inflicting pain onto others." Gantu deactivated the weapon momentarily, so it could cool down. After it was no longer hot to the touch he reactivated it. "I do it because I can."  
  
Gantu continued to pound on 626 for the next ten minutes, then after he got tired, or he was reminded he had somewhere to go, he stopped. He picked up 626, being careful not to grab the end with teeth and threw him back into the small cell on the wall. "I'll be back later." the captain promised. "I'll hold you to it." 626 grunted cockily.  
  
626 listened as Gantu walked off. He breathed a sigh of relief and began to let go, and untense himself. The only injuries he suffered were a bloody lip and his nose was broken again, but that was expected, it had been broke the day before, or maybe, never mind. He hadn't kept track of the passing of time. He shuddered in the small cold cell, laying on his side, letting the blood from his nose drip into a pool, he couldn't have done anything about it anyway. Gantu had broken the rib that had been fractured before, each breath he drew was painful. His body was trying to repair the rib, occasionally a sharp pain turned his chest into a firey inferno of agony as the rib was slowly moving closer to the break and heal itself. He hoped Jumba wasn't getting the same 'welcome'.  
  
* * *  
  
Grand Council woman, Alkaldia Onieda and her apprenticing nephew, Darfinis Maurader headed for the file database, to read up on Dr. Jumba Jookiba and his psychotic experiment 626. Both of them, the doctor and 626, had been hastily examined by a shrink, not physically, just based off Dr. Jumba's papers and concluded that both were in a highly dangerous state of psychosis. But they would have to do a more in depth study to back up their findings.  
  
None of that was important now, the Council woman wanted to review the evidence herself before the actual trial, to get a good hold on what she was dealing with. It was good practice that she wanted to pass on to her aspiring nephew. The two checked into the security post. The gaurd took the I.D. and scanned it. He returned the cards and waved them through. "Just remember, anything you want to take from the datafiles has to be properly scanned, re-documented then you can load it into your datapads for reviewal. Have a nice day."  
  
The section on the Doctor and his work was huge. It had several thousand papers recovered and piced back together from his lab, inluding his personal notes and reminders. The data on file was even larger, it took up nearly a third of all the other compiled evidence in the whole complex.  
  
"He was very thoughrough in his research." Maurader announced. "Look at all this stuff. I bet some of the other sceintists would kill to have just a piece of this." "Which is why I have requested that no one but us look at it before the actualy date of trial." Alkaldia said. "Now we have to sift through all this stuff and find files relevant to 'Experiment 626' and his doings." "Are we looking for anything specificly related to 626, or anything on Dr. Jumba's illegal experiments?" Darfinis said, lookind down at the incredible ammount of paper, hoping this would be a fast find. "We are only looking for records relevant to 626 if that is what you mean, personal notes, laboratory statistics, reports." Alkaldia said to the screen on which she was rapidly searching though.  
  
Darfinis pulled a stack of tatered papers from a pile that was stacked inside a box with alienatic writing that read, 'Dr. Jumba' on the side. He flipped through the stack. "I found something, preliminary sketches of 626 I think. Take a look." he passed the stack off to Alkaldia, who diligently fingered through them. She studied each page with care and caution, memorizing every detail of this thing. She almost laughed when she read through the abilities, but retained her dry seriousness.  
  
Althought genetics was something that had always passed over her head, but she had a basic ground understanding of what the limits of the science were, and this denied all of them. The little blue creature had been made from close to nothing, Dr. Jumba had pulled together the best samples of Dna and genetic coding, stregnth, speed, brains and anyother useful trait. Using these he then constructed from a blank sheet of nothing, his own genetic code for the monster's bone structure and body size.  
  
The Councilwoman was having second thoughts about the Dr. He was a genius, breaking medical boundries the scientists on Federation funding hadn't even reached. Her head drifted down to the paper again, and her eyes focused on 626. She let her mouth curl into a smile. 626 almost looked cute, without the genetic coding to kill he could be as harmless as any other alien out there. A different feeling washed over her, one of pity and remorse, it was a question that triggered it. What if 626 was being controlled somehow by the doctor? What if the small blue alien had a mind of his own, and was forced into the doctors every whim? Under an enslavemnt of some sort. She would have to investigate the matter further.  
  
"I think I found something interesting, some data that had been stored on a pad concerning 626 and an injury he sustained." Maurader interrupted his aunt from her deep thought. Silently she shuffeled through the papers that lay out on the floor and over to the datapad. "All the information might not be there, the doctor did a botched attempt to erase everything in the database. But the team had pieced together most of it." Onieda accepted the information and began to read.  
  
The datapad contained nearly sixty pages of information on 626, after a headwound he'd recieved, as well as pictures of a ship's bloody interior, the bent frame and x-rays of the skull showing small hairline fractures. 626 had sustained an eight gee force impact into the metal supporting beam of a cruiser, walking off with only minor fractures and... she read it again. Her eyebrows lifted, 626 had a gash on his forehead that effectively caused the loss of onehundred and twenty percent of his blood. That didn't make sence, that was more than enough to kill someone, and it was also twenty percent over the ammount of blood, which menat 626 reproduced blood at an alarming rate, giving him no chance to bleed to death. As wierd as it was, she passed it off as an error in the re-collection of the erased data.  
  
"You see the part about the blood?" Darfinis asked, knowing that she would have said something about it anyway. "Yes, I did. I assume it was an error in the code from reconstructing it, is it not?" "No, I checked it, twice. It's the origional number that was on the pad in the first place. This 626 is an amazing creature." Darfinis commented, he already knew most of what was there, but acted as if it were new to him. "Yes, he certainly is. But none the less, he has done some dammage and needs to be held accountable. And we need evidence to prove his wrong doings, that's why we're here." she reminded him. "Yes, but I-" Darfinis was interrupted by the beeping of his aunt's comms device.  
  
"You'll have hold onto that thought." she said, and reached into her pocket for the small device. She turned it on and pressed it to the small hole that was her ear and listened. The small almost inaudible voice squeaked on the microphone for several seconds then stopped. She closed the hinged pice and slipped the comms back into her pocket. A smile was spread across her face that was usually cold and unexpressionated. "It seems that Captain Gantu has made good on his word." she bent over and began to put the papers back into a pile.  
  
Darfinis looked confused. "What did the Captian do?" The Councilwoman place the stack of un-organized papers back into the box. "The Captian swore to himself that he'd capture 626 from the day the doctor bagan to run from the Federation. And he has, 626 is in the detaining center, awaiting the trial. And personally I want to talk to him myself, now that he's away from the doctor and his possible influence on him. Pack up, we're leaving." He shrugged and placed the pad down onto the boxes.  
  
"What was it that you were saying before they called?" the Councilwoman asked while they were walking out of the storage. "Oh, nothing. I forgot what I was going to say." he admitted. "I want to ask 626 some questions before Dr. Jumba gets to see him. Before he gives him the last orders." Onieda said. "What makes you think 626 is being controlled by the doctor? From a military standpoint, Wouldn't you want a body capable of making it's own descisions, without having to give them orders every time he completes the last set. Instead of a robot like machine?" "That would be more practical, but I think there is more to this 626 than we suppose. I've seen a pattern with the genetic creations, if 626 is anything like the last ones he'll be predictable." "The datapad mentions two other experiments that keep showing up, numbers 327 and 625. I see a pattern here too, what if these two are still out there? Certainly they will come after 626, looking after him like an older brother." "You should look harder in the datapad. Number 625 posed no threat whatsoever." "How so?" "Dr. Jumba notes in many papers on number 625, although he has the capabilites to destroy like 626, give or take some stregnths and weaknesses, is too lazy. He also notes that 625 is a failure. We shouldn't concern our rescources on him." "What of the number 327?" "Although she..."  
  
"Wait," Darfinis cut in. "You said a SHE, right?" "That's right." "Wouldn't they be able to reproduce then? 626 and 327, Jumba did note that they had feelings for eachother." "The love 327 shared toward 626 was just wasted, 626 is almost incapable of showing deep emotions toward anything. He did have feelings toward her, but they were shallow, not really a deep understanding, just a sway to her." "So no reproduction?" "I would think not." "But 327 would still come after him, right?" "I think we should worry about that when the time comes." Onieda finished.  
  
The two passed throught the main door and out into the busy sidewalk, down into the awaiting hovercar that had been sent for them. The green car shot up into the traffic stream above the city and jetted toward the detention center. It stopped and the passengers that climbed in a few seconds ago got out. Both of them walked up hte stairs to the center, that was the thing that bothered Darfinis, everything had steps, up and down. That's all he did all day. By now there should be sectovators and mechanized walkways, but there was none, in fact sometimes the only way for some aliens to get exersize was the steps, they were too busy to do anything else.  
  
The entrance hall was huge, the vaulted ceiling reached high into the air, while colorful frescoes were strewn across the wall in an unorderly fassion, but it was designed that way. They flashed thier cards at the front desk and were led through several locking doors by a short, but heavily muscled security gaurd. He passed on several warnings to them, concerning the prisoners, and soon to be prisoners, and not to go near them at all because they liked to grab passer bys and it took brute force to get them off.  
  
They approached the cell, it was a steel door with no holes, except for the key hole. But the gaurd didn't insert a key, he swiped a card under the door and a laser reader picked up the user's code and heartbeat, matched both and the monitor above the cell beeped. He cautiously opened the door, Maurader and Alkaldia stood back, just in case. The jailer stood stock still, his mouth hagning open. Inside the black cell was nothing, only a small pool of dried blood remained.  
  
"He's gone." Alkaldia said dryly. "How did this happen?" she turned to the gaurd, an acusing stare looked at him from her cold eyes.  
  
Darfinis felt a sinking sensation in his stomach, he stepped back a few feet, he'd seen the footage of what 626 could do, and he didn't want to experience it first hand. The monster could tear your spinal colomn out and turn it into a pulp, while you were still standing. He could gut you and strangle the last oince of breath out with your own intestines. He was ready to break into a full out panicking run, when the gaurd realized what he'd done.  
  
"Sorry," he apologized, looking at the monitor above the cell. "Wrong one, this one's been empty for a while now." he moved over one row and followed the same procedure as before, this time the cell swung open and inside was a small blue alien, or his back anyway. He was facing his poisonous barbs that extended from the semetrical blotch of dark blue fur toward the door. Darfinis watched 626 breath in, unaware that they were there. A blue ear pooped up instantaneously and swiveled back to them, then returned to it's origional place, but 626 didn't move, he ignored them. Why was there any reason to acnkowledge them anyway? They weren't there to save him, they mattered nothing.  
  
"626, I'd like to talk to you." The councilwoman said slowly, in a friendly voice so not to agitate him. "And I'd like to do it in a interrigation room so that no one can hear anything." "That won't get him to talk." Darfinis grinned wryly. "Who's talking here?" the Councilwoman hissed. She shook her head and turned back to 626. "Don't listen to him. Come out and we can talk, about anything you want." "Go away." the blue alien groaned through all the pain Gantu had inflicted hours ago. "No one's going to hurt you." the Councilwoman promised. "Then tell your Captain Gantu that. He just finished giving me a 'welcome session' a few hours ago."  
  
The Councilwomans face was now twisted in anger. Some wounds were evident, other might take time to appear. She knew what 626 was talking about, and how Gantu promised to get back at him, it was personal. Now the debt was repayed, but there was still some more to come. Gantu had always shown lack of ethics and respect, he didn't value life much, that made for a really great tactician, but not for off-duty engagements. The thought entered her head about finally retiring the Captain, but saved that for later. She now had something to play on. "Although I cannot take back all the pain Gantu has caused you, I can offer you something." "What?" 626 shifted, as if he wanted to open up and talk. "A chance to give your side of the story, without Jumba being by your side. To tell us what you want, without pressure from Jumba. You're safe from him now."  
  
626 let out a small laugh, but was stopped from the massive pain from moving his chest like that. "People died, it was my fault. They didn't have to, I did it." he said, now taking on a remorseful tone. Jumba had nothing to do with it, it was all me." he held back some tears.  
  
"I know it seemed liked you did, but it was really Jumba. He made you, told you it was alright to do that. All the time it was him, controlling you, you were at his back and call, if not he threatened to destroy you. Now it's fine." she try soothing him. Darfinis gave an entertained look behind her, his arms across his chest.  
  
"You..." he broke off, the pain grew in his chest, he wheezed. "You have the details wrong. He never told me to do anything, just gave mission basics. The senseless deaths were all my fault, something now I wish hadn't happened. Then I wouldn't be here. It would all be finished..." 626 trailed off.  
  
"It seems that way, but it would work to your advantage in the trial. You could get a lighter sentence, if you claim Jumba was in effect controlling you under threat of life." "Who's side are you on?" 626 paused, but continued before she had a chance to reply. "Besides, whatever comes I deserve it. Full force sentence, death even. I had it comming."  
  
Darfinis leaned close to his aunt's ear. "He sounds derranged, like he isn't right in the head." he whispered to her. She turned and gave him a stern look. "Right now we're just talking, pshyco evaluations come later." she hissed back. "I heard that." 626 gave a faint smile, "I can hear anything."  
  
"You want to talk about 327?" Darfinis said from over the Councilwoman's shoulder. 626 turned from facing the wall, trying to figure out his angle. The security gaurd pulled the pistol from his side and aimed it at 626, the fast movement caused him to go into alarm. "327?!" he growled. "Yeah, the doctor mentioned something about her in his files, says you two were, er, had feelings for eachother." Maurader smirked, secretly trying to provoke something. 626 now knew she was safe, they hadn't mentioned her being onboard the ship, just that they knew about her, but he still had doubts. "You will NEVER speak of her," He barked, thick silava flew from his mouth. "She is of no concern to you, leave her alone. If you so much as even look at her wrong, I'll-" 626 started getting closer to the edge of the cell, and made threatening actions. The jailkeeper closed the door, the room fell silent, the steel door blocked all the sounds from the angry alien inside. The door rattled from being hit.  
  
Alkaldia turned to Darfinis, flames seemed to come out of her eyes. "Why did you do that?" she snapped. "What?" he said innocently. "You know." she turned and let her footsteps tell how she felt. Darfinis followed, a grin spread on his face.  
  
626 was glad they were gone. He could now plot his escape in silence. His demented show was effective, they though him a first class looney. Which would work in his favor at some point. After the trial they'd hand him over to a mental facility, finding that his mental status had been screwed up because Jumba had made him kill people, they'd then pump him full of stimulants and other drugs, claim he's fine and toss him out of the facility as fast as they can throw a ball.  
  
He laughed, the Councilwoman had things definately screwed up. Jumba made him kill? That was funny, he wondered where the got thier scources, Maurader probably had a hand in that. 327, whenever he's said that something happened, 626 didn't know why, he blew his stack. He reasoned it was protection, he was protecting her. Even if they asked where she was he would never tell, not even in threat of death. 


	22. Finale

Finale  
  
This was it. 626 was captured, Jumba along with him, both were lead to a detention center. Jumba was put under minimum security, only a bared cell, 626 on the otherhand was inside a cell block for dangerous aliens, then inside a small permacrete cell with a steel door, and if that wasn't enough he was put in fore-arm reastraints. There was no chance of escaping.  
  
The two unaccounted for experiments, 327 and 625, had managed to get out through the escape hatch on Jumba's cruiser and flee the pads, heading in the dirrection of the lab, where 626 promised he'd meet them, but fate had said otherwise.  
  
The date for the pre-screening of Jumba and 626 was closing in, the scientist who knew about it had jitters in his large stomach, 626 however was curled up un the deathly cold space of his new living quarters, unaware that he'd soon be ripped from the black cold space into a different environment.  
  
The Grand Councilwoman walked down the narrow stone caved path in the interior of the gahtering place, the Hall of the elders. The Hall was anchient, nearly sixtythousand years old, older than any other building in the entire Federation space. It purpose went back to when the first Government was set up on Turo, hundreds of councilors had traveled the halls, each had a specific job to do, as did she.  
  
Darfinis followed close at her heels, staring at the artwork that had been placed on the walls. Oddly enough both felt like they were at home here, in the place of power, they proceded down the hall like a queen and her young son, an air of grace and hard power could be felt as they passed.  
  
"What are we here for?" Darfinis asked as they passd several doors with a barely audible noise emitting from behind them. "626 trial is just one part of the entire thing." she answered without looking back at him. "We've been chasing Jumba ever since he'd left the Federation's best scientist team. For years we have been watching him, because he had been suspected to have been illegally creating genetic experiments for his own purposes. Untill a month ago we had nothing, then someone copied and dumped the doctor's files into our computers, giving us the puch that we'd been awaiting for so long. I didn't take long for a warrant to be issued and then a full search investigation. When Jumba left his lab we knew."  
  
Darfinis seemed to be 'overwhelmed' by the infomation, all of which he knew already. He wanted to get down to brass tacks though. "You can explain all this to me later, let's get down to the bottom." he interrupted his aunt. Alkaldia sighed. "You always wanted the easy way. Here goes,"  
  
"Dr. Jumba has broken thousands of boundries in the field of genetics, some of them were not meant to be crossed, but he did anyway. Now that all his work belongs to the Federation, it must be processed accordingly, distributing it to the institutes for the greater advancement for the entire Galaxy. But there are several other genetic doctors who would kill to have this information, and they want it all. We're her to devide up the data the good doctor has collected. But there's more, Jumba and 626 escaped from capture several times, once they used a stolen battle cruiser to turn the tractor beam off them. They escaped, but not at a great cost.  
  
"Thousands of credits in machinery and laboratory equipment was inside the stripped cruiser, along with the fifty two reamining experiments that had been flash frozen. We took the necessary precautions when handling Jumba's work and kept them frozen. Each had a number hastily painted on the glass of the cryotube. Unfortuanately there was no data on them, giving a detailed description of them and the havoc they had, or hadn't caused in the past. They're still frozen untill we can find data on them in Jumab's huge pile of data and process them accordingly to thier past actions."  
  
"And if nothing is found condeming them, what then?" "I really can't say anything aobut that. The Elders would have to decide. I can only speculate, they might be released under heavy gaurd untill they prove they aren't a problem. They might be terminated under the suspicion that 626 is a collection of everything of the past experiments. The most likely would be that they will be frozen and put somewhere safe untill some stupid janitor cracks the case hundreds of years from now."  
  
"Sounds harsh, especially if they don't get a say in it." Darfinis said pitifully. The Council woman turned to face him. "And if we crack a case and it's another 626? Reaking destruction on everything, we'd have nothing to stop it." Darfinis could only nod at the logistic reasoning of it. The converstation puased, the Councilwoman swiped her card in the slot by the door to the Chamber of Decision, it hissed open and the two walked inside. Maurader didn't say anything, he knew the conversation would be cut short.  
  
Inside the room was almost black, an un ending void of nothing, with the exception that each member of the Inner Council had a light beam from the ceiling that focused down on them. They looked like ghosts, white and black were the only distinguishable colors. Alkaldia pulled up her seat and sat down, the light from the roof brightened and focused the beam onto her. Darfinis sat in a seat back in the pitch black room, no light for him, yet. He heard breathing, very light though.  
  
A voice floated through one of the light beams. "Everyone is here and accounted for. Tapes are rolling. The first question I want to ask, What was the official death toll of the night of 626 capture?"  
  
"Sixty soldiers, ninteen civilians, three troop transports and one landing pad in the wealthy suburbs." replied a voice from anothe beam of light.  
  
"Now, what were the tolls on Chenadiss, in the Grevold, and the space station? And the estimated dammage done." the first voice asked.  
  
"Three hundred on Chenadiss and the Space station incident hasn't fully come ot a close, but the count in up to thirty. In addition to Chenadiss, the blast caused by the reactors of the lab underground caused planet wide fires, eventually burning the entire surface and the one and only city down to nothing. Nothing is alive down there anymore. But the good news is, the inhabitnats that weren't killed by the blast left, no civillian casualties. The Grevold was all millitary losses, ten soldiers. The total cost hasn't been totaled yet, but with one planet that is unhabitable, a multi- national, multi-billion credit space station demolished along with half a fleet in starship fighters, and massive dataloss and one bomb in the Grevold, you can begin to speculate."  
  
"What is the connection between these places? They are all millions of miles away from eachother, what are you stabbing at?" a different voice demanded.  
  
"These are all locations that the now captured 626 had visited, aech time resulting in the same thing, death and destruction. There is enough evidence to put him to death right there. But this isn't about 626, this meeting was called to concern the data and other captured experiments of Dr. Jookiba's." The Councilwoman said.  
  
"Hold on." A voice puased everything. "626 was nearly unbeatable in every confrontation, what made three nights ago different? He just gave in, unusual from his relentless behavior from the past."  
  
"626 and Jumba had been running for three weeks, and from the medical report from the doctor on duty then the beaten for of 626 was brought in we can only draw one conclusion. The doctor said that 626 was out cold, nothing brought him through, almost like death. A full scan was run, 626 was being run on empty for a week, next to nothing to eat, stressed out, and his muscles had been ripped in several places from prolonged periods of use. He had only six hours of sleep within a two week span. He'd bled profusely in several locations. His body gave in, there was no more energy to draw from that night. If he'd been anyone else that night, he'd have fallen over dead. His small body took great ammounts of abuse and wear. It was about time." One of the medical doctors said confidently from under his lamp.  
  
"That sounds like torture. Did he do this to himself, or was Jumba to blame? How could anyone do that, that's amazing. Perhaps we can learn something from this." the first voice said.  
  
"We think that Dr. Jumba was doing it to see how far he could push 626 untill he dropped. But in a confrontation I had with him earlier today..."  
  
"What? You talked ot him? Who gave the auhorization?"  
  
"I did. Grand Concilwoman Alkaldia Onieda. I went to see him, from the looks of it he sounded out of place, extracted from his mind. He sounded psychotic, and unstable. I couldn't tell if he was scared. Which brings me to another point. Captain Gantu, shortly after capture, took and beat 626. Althought there was no visible dammage done to him doens't mean there was none at all."  
  
"How could you come to that conclusion seing that there was no visible wounds? It sounds like you are jumping the gun, how do you know they weren't self inflicted?" the doctor asked.  
  
"626 was in a small cell with four flat walls, arms bound, there was no way he could have done that by himself. The wounds were too recent, there was no scarring or scabbing. I have no doubt that Gantu was the cause. But without evidence, this will go unjustified." The Councilwoman said flatly.  
  
"It will go unjustified, mainly because there is no evidence, but 626 will not be effected in any way. He'a robust little creature, built like a freight train. He's had several previous wounds, all of which have healed miraculously. None are visible on him so far. Although he looks like a miracle on the outside, only an in depth search would reveal how incredible he is. So incredible that he took a thirteen g-force blow to the head, which if he were any different, now he'd be all over a distance of a mile in billions of pieces." the doctor stated.  
  
"By in depth search, I would suppose you mean an autopsy, doctor?" The councilwoman said defensively.  
  
"In a way yes, and no. The medical field has many instruments that could get a good look at him from the outside. But it would be more practical to do an autopsy, and learn whatever the scanning devices couldn't tell us. All of which with your permission, might I add." The doctor noded respectfully.  
  
"626 is not a lab rat." Alkaldia said gruffly. "Regaurdless of his fate at the council, he will never be touched by a medical laser in any way. Even if the council decides death, his body will be burned in a timely fassion in the nearest sun. Whatever makes 626 tick, whatever makes him unique in the respect that he is a geneticly created creature to destroy must not pass on. After the public trail, it will be done what the council orders and all of Jumba's papers, all of his data will be erased and burned."  
  
"Excuse me?!" the doctor said, trying to remian calm. "ALL that data? Do you realize what this will do for the industries? Even if the information isn't used in the enhancement like Jumba used it in, we could take that knowledge from it and use it in other fields."  
  
"No, I said it will be destroyed. We can't risk another creature like 626 running aobut the place, and there are men out there that would use the information in such a way. He was hard enough to capture as it was. No data will be realeased." Alkaldia stood firmly.  
  
"I don't see..." "That's right, you don't see doctor. How many lives will you be willing to risk, how many more have to die before you realize that this knowledge is too dangerous to handle, even in the most trusted hands. No more on this subject, discussion ended. Tomorrow I will have all the data erased and the paper burned."  
  
Darfinis gave a small inaudible gasp, she was going to delete everything. He pulled himself up from the chair and typed a message to his aunt saying he had some things to take care of, and left the darkened room without saying a word.  
  
Three days later   
  
Nearly a week had passed since 626 promised he'd be back. Now there was nothing to keep her together, 327 felt like she was going to fall apart at the seams. She'd been preparing for either a joyuos reunion, or heart breaking news that he was captured. And in the second case scenario had been gathering weapons she'd hidden in the lab before Jumba decided to pack up and go, and piled them in a corner in the small room above the lab that 626 had built in case of an emergency.  
  
625 hadn't been much of a help, he'd whined the whole time and gotten in the way. 327 was nearly to the point of turning 625 over a rock and beating him to death, loosing 626 had made her irratable and if anything animostuous, full of hate.  
  
Now she was sitting at the computer searching the mainframe in every prison for 626. Although the systems weren't tied into anything, the mainframe in anyway, but a simple phone or comms device could be hacked into and turned into a port for searching the system.  
  
327 tried a local detention center first, at this time of night there would only be prison garuds, but hopefully one would have a comms. She tapped two keys and brought up the comms lines, then searched for any line in the detention center. The search brought up only one in the immediate area, but was registered to an anonmous person. A few more keys were tapped and she was now directly linked to the comms.  
  
She used the comms base and projected her code into the self contained system, now she was in. Brining up windows and searching for the prisoner database. The list opened and she scrolled down, looking for anything that didn't fit, any unkown prisoner. There were only thirteen prisoners at the time, none of them fit the description of 626, but all was not lost.  
  
Next she brought up a program to sift throught the cameras, both infared and color coded full spectrum immages appeared. She moved through the windows, tirelessly searching, stopping to study the immages only for a few seconds looking for one small enough to fit 626. But her hope began to diminish as she counted off the prisoners and got closer to thirteen. She gasped at number twelve, it was close. There was a nagging in her brain, telling her not to push the button and see the last prisoner, a nagging that told her there would be either someone that she didn't know, or 626. It was highly improbable that it was 626, but she couldn't stop, she couldn't live with the fact that she had been so close to finding him and might have skipped him up over the feeling that he was lost forever in the unending system of justice.  
  
327 slipped more than she pushed the button, and was glad she did. A warm, peaceful feeling washed over her, she sank lower into the chair and breathed a sigh of relief. A smile crept across her seemingly permanently etched frowning face. A single tear drop emmerged from her black eyes and dripped onto 626' borrowed combat suit.  
  
On the screen was the infrared immage of a two foot tall alien curled up in a ball, breathing softly. The walls arround him were an icy blue color, indicating nearly freezing temperatures, the heating coils in the walls had been turned off. 327 knew that there was little else that she could do but help from the desk where she was at, so she hacked into the main controlls and found the cell number and turned up the thermostat up to seventy standard degrees. It was the least she could do. Slowly the temperature of the room raised above the comforable zone  
  
The small blue alien began to feel the warmth and his breathing got easier, now that 626 was fine for the moment 327 concentrated all her efforts on finding out where the prison was, and when 626 would be leaving. The Council would be pre-examining him soon, he was too dangerous to keep waiting for extended periods of time.  
  
He was pulled from the deep restful sleep he'd been dreaming in for the last twelve hours at the sound of a klaxon alarm whining in his small cell. He curled up and growled, that was all he could do untill the alarm went silent. 626 was glad that it was only a wake up call, any longer and he swore he'd have been deaf. The painful alarm stopped, but was picked up by the morning noise of the awoken prisoners banging on the bars and steel doors of their cells.  
  
Now he was awake fully, there would be no sleeping during the morning hours because of the scedule of the gaurds, but 626 wasn't expecting any special treatment, or anything at all. He knew the most dangerous prisoners didn't leave thier cells save a fire. So he just curled up and tried his best to sleep again, it was the only way to pass time.  
  
As soon as he drifted off into sleep the sounds faded out of his mental awareness, all was quiet. A figure appeared in darkness, it was only a shillouhette and was hard to make out in the dark, but it seemed to be radiating light. Slowly the room lighted, but from infront of the thing, and the darkness was replaced with light. Now the immage was clearer than before, but it still was only an outline, but he recognized it immediately.  
  
It was one of Jumba's experiments, the ears, the barbs, the quad-limbs, antenna. From the way it moved from side to side, the smooth, predictable combat like actions gave it away. He was seeing himself, sometime in the future, or somewhere else. Another figure appeared, but farther away. It was tall, thin, the same figure in one of his dreams before. It was an assassin, or bounty hunter, he swore the same one that had killed him in his dream. Shivers ran up his spine, knowing the outcome already.  
  
The experiment looked as if it was sniffing, then turned to see the smell. He knew it, the invisible eyes made contact, the smaller creature bolted off, running in a senceless dirrection of the white void. He could feel the fear in the experiment, running like hell, but still losing ground. The assassin move slowly, like he was floating toward his prey. Although the experiment was faster and far ahead the tall figure still caught up.  
  
It was like dejavu. 626 watched as the experiment stopped in the middle of no where and turned to his pursuer, the assassin spread his legs apart and moved back the trench coat by his leg and pulled a black pistol. 626 closed his eyes, knowing what would happen, but when no round was fired and the firgures remained still he took a look. Although they were black shadows the movements indicated dialouge, no mouths were present but there was a suggestive movement by either entity.  
  
Two shadows arguing, no sound, no color. Watching was hell, there was nothing that he could understand comming from it, intill the experiment moved a bit. The Hunter that had put his gun down, raised it again and shook it threateningly. The experiment moved a bit more, the assassin reached in his coat and threw something onto the ground infront of the creation. Black tubular cuffs, the assassin wanted for him to give up.  
  
Something happened, the experiment moved, as if to run, but stopped. From the shadow of the hunter, a flash appeared. The experiment reeled as the shot passed through the right lung taking with it blood and flesh, spreading it out all over the white floor. The second shot came, but missed, the experiment had already moved away and began to run again, leaving a bloody trail to follow. As if on cue, the assassin began to run after it.  
  
Another two shots rang out, not from a laser, or plasma weapon, a cartridge gun. From the time between the bullets it sounded like a carbine. 626 looked arround, there was no onther shadow to indicate a third person, and the shots didn't come from the experiment. The hunter's knees exploded into a gory mess and he crumpled to the ground in what seemed to be a wail, but there was no sound.  
  
The experiment still continued to run, and didn't stop. He ran untill 626 could no longer see him. The assassin had pulled himself up against a wall and began to tend to his knees. Two shots and two capped knees, although he was asleep 626 knew that was a hellova shot. An annoying noise filled the white place a squeak then a humming. Everything disappeared.  
  
327 forced herself up from the painful position on the chair as the alarm rang off. From the time it registered in he head that she had set the alarm to warn her if anyone opened 626 cell door, adrenaline began pumping. Instantly she was awake and pushed a button. The screen enlarged and cleared up. She shook her head and blinked.  
  
Two huge alien with ungodly bulging muscles had opened the door and pinned the restrained 626 down into a metal cart and shoved a short needled syrenge into his rear. The voilent thrashing of 626 slowled to a kick, then a numbing stillness. Goose bumbs raised all over 327, they were moving him now. But to where was a different question.  
  
She followed them down the hall on the camera, they spent several seconds at a security check point, then moved on down the hall. They stopped at the main entrance for recieving prisoners and signed several papers then loaded the cart into the rear of a vehicle filled with padding and several seats. The men were dumbfounded when they realized 626 couldn't be strapped into a seat, and they improvized. By crossing two belts from adjecent seats they managed to get 626 to stay in place. They themselves sat down and the steel rear door closed and clamped shut.  
  
327 moved to a camera looking at the loading docks for the prison and located the vehicle and tagged it with an I.D. tag as well as tracking it by orbital recon used by the military. The black plain vehicle moved up through traffic and sped above it. Seeing a cruiser not in the designated traffic lines two blue police cruisers jumped into pursuit. 327 then watched the exchange of data between the transport and the officials. They police turned off the sirens, but the lights remained on. The cruisers took a right and left flank formation, gaurding the transport.  
  
The black cruiser stopped behind the rear entrance of the Hall of Elders, where the Council gathered. 327 knew she was screwed, there were no cameras inside the Hall, and no way to get one in. She hurriedly turned on the infrared on the orbital recon satelite and followed 626's heat trail.  
  
Still drugged, 626 was being led along a corridor and into a secure meeting cell. That what his messed up mind could figure anyway. They's stunned him with an energy shock and then moved him to a cold metal cart and pushed a needle into his rear end. It wasn't a tranquilizer because he was still awake, but some drug, probably morphine and sodium penathol. Now he didn't care.  
  
They stopped at a door and tapped three times. A click and the door opened. Bright lights stunned 626, but he didn't blink or look away, he didn't care. Inside the grey room sat the huge form of captain Gantu, the thin form of the Council lady that had been talking to the other day, and Jumba. He rolled over at the sight, the gaurds suspected something and pinned him down to the cart, rather harshly. Gantu, Jumba or the CouncilWoman said nothing. 626 didn't bother to move, he couldn't do much but breath after they'd pinned him down.  
  
"I think we'll be fine." the Councilwomans voice said, soothingly as it sounded to 626. The gaurds nodded, released 626 and moved out of the room, the door clicked behind them. Jumba jumped up to retrieve 626.  
  
"Eh." Gantu said loudly, Jumba paused. "Leave him alone." The scientist unwillingly sat down in his chair.  
  
626 rolled over onto his stomach, the drugs making him slow. The first thing he'd realized is that the handcuffs had been removed. He tried to move his arm, but was too whacked to do so. He could only clench his paw into a fist. Glad he was no longer hindered by the restraints, he dirrected his attention to the occupants in the room.  
  
'What is going on.' was what he tried to say, but it came out gurgled and uncomprehensible. Jumba was the only one to express his concern for 626, he stood up and moved toward him again, but Gantu stopped him once more. Though from his seat he could tell 626 had been given something to make him pacifistic, the dull coating on his eyes was the first give away, besides the fact that he couldn't move much.  
  
The Councilwoman stood up and spoke. "There should be no question why you are both here. It is plainly obvious." she noticed that Jumba's total attention was dirrected to 626. "626 will be fine, I requested the medics give him something to help restrain him without it being physical. Muscle relaxant and morphine, he's not going to be moving about anytime soon."  
  
"626 wasn't designed to withstand doses of any kind of sedatives or relaxers at any point. They tend to have a negative effect on him, liver, and other vital organs, without proper monitoring and dosage, he could slip into accoma or die." Jumba said, in an out of focus way, as if it were something to brush off. "I would appeciate it if you never did that again."  
  
The CouncilWoman nodded. "We've reviewed your files and searched them thoroughly. We gave him enough to make him feel it, not enough to come close to what you suggest you fear. But that is nothing relevant to why you are here."  
  
"Right, I'm guessing you want something of mine in return for amnisty?" Jumba said, jumping the gun.  
  
"No, doctor. I fear you are gravely mistaken. There is no place we could use your services, nor do we require any help in any current projects. Several days ago it was decided by the Board of Trustees that any of your work in part or whole is too dangerous for any one handle. It is too far advanced, if one person got controll of it, there would be dire consequences. As of this morning every piece of compiled data has been erased, burned and shredded."  
  
"IS WHAT?!" Jumba shouted, nearly shocked into silence. "That is my life's work, you can't just throw it all away! You...!"  
  
"Doctor, you are a genius, no doubt. But the compiled data is too much to handle at out current level of technology. It has been destroyed. Your work however is another matter," she waved a hand at the blue alien on the metal table. "He is a real piece of work. Dangerous and misguided. Your application of the knowledge that you poses is another matter. Using the skills of a genetisist in illegal and immoral ways. Questionable ethics and standards. That is the reason you were expelled from the SCOTA."  
  
Still recovering from the blow that all his data was gone and that there was nothing left, Jumba tried to think, but couldn't. He just wanted to get down to the basics. "What do you want? What's it going to take to get out of here?"  
  
"As of this far, that is no getting out of here Jookiba." The councilwoman stated. "You have illegally created genetic mutants, hybrids, whatever you want to call them. They have caused thousands of deaths arround the galaxy. They have destroyed trillions of credits worth of dammage to a single corporation, and evaded capture. From just a glance at the huge pile of paperwork that has to be done regaurding their criminal records would state more than anyone could say."  
  
Jumba felt as if he was being left out of something. He had a good idea of what was going to happen, but no definate answer. "You have given me a very vauge picture. I want to know exactly what could happen, and the options that I have open. Anything works, except that my experiments cannot be terminated because I created them. They have a right to life as much as any of us."  
  
"They have no right to live! They are failed attempts to create a corrupt army and take over the universe!" Gantu said in a raised voice.  
  
Jumba shot him a look of total confusion. "It is true that my experiments have been trained highly in the arts, and with weapons to the point where they only need to look at one to know how to use it. But galactic domination was never anywhere in my blood, too much stress. But if you're looking for someone to convict for that reason you might want to look up a man by the name of Darfinis Maurader, he's been turning up everywhere."  
  
"Maurader?!" Alkaldia yelled, but in a dignified manner, a look of complete suprized and shock across her face. "Certainly you have him confused with some other man, perhaps..."  
  
"Darfinis Maurader is his name. I can make no mistake about it." Jumba assured her.  
  
"He can't, it's not possible. There is surely a mistake. He could never do anything like that."  
  
"Why?" Jumba asked simply.  
  
"Beacuse. Darfinis Maurader, the man of whom you speak... he is my nephew... and merely a young man at that. Not near the intelligence level that your statement would require. He wants to be a senator and is under my supervision for training, an apprentice. He is constantly monitored and surveyed, there is nowhere he can go without us seeing him. There would have been something there..."  
  
Gantu was lost in the drabble, 626 was out, and Jumba and the Councilwoman were both stunned, neither believing the other untill evidence could put the truth to bear. The Councilwoman in disbelief because she had some possibly insane scientist telling her that her own nephew is a man of power. Jumba was caught off gaurd, the position of apprentice in the senate would be invaluable, and the perfect place to be none the less.  
  
In order to get the truth, Alkaldia wanted to ask some questions. "You said that you have run into him several times before. Where?"  
  
"As a matter of fact, he is the reason why we are here today. This whole mess, everything. To start at the beginning..." Jumba started explaining how he needed a condencer for his reactor and how 626 went through the warehouses on Chenadiss, and the connection to Maurader, and his secret bunker below the surface. He then went on to the Assault on his lab, the space station, and the incident in the Grevold, each in no order relevant to the chronological order in which they happened.  
  
After the entire story was told and the words had a chance to sink in, the silence started. Eyes darted arround the room, thoughts flew through both the Captain and the Councilor's minds, making the connection to each of the incidents and making Jumba's story fit.  
  
Gantu broke the silence. "Dr, that was a very good explanation. It's too bad you're a psychotic crackpot, and there is no way we could ever believe you."  
  
Jumba was dumbfounded. He'd spilled out all his guts before them, told the entire story from start to finish, not in an organized order, but still it was told. Obvoiusly the truth was too much for them to handle. But through all the confusion he smiled inside, this could be used to his advantage. If they dodn't belive him now, he could retell the story, but change it a little, carry on with the mad scientist charade.  
  
"Doctor, it seems we have gotten off track from our origional conversation, although that intruiging tale you told was, never mind. Back to your question. As for you, it is looking like three years in a mental institution if you plead insanity, or thirty years in a Federal prison if you plead guilty or innocent." The councilwoman diverted him.  
  
"And what of 626?"  
  
Alkaldia sighed and took her best guess. "Experiment number 626, regretably has too much against him. Destruction of property, grand theft spacecraft, among several others, murder. It will be nearly a century before he sees the light of day again, muchless if he even sees anything at all."  
  
"Murder?! He was merely defending himself. You cannot prove if they fired first or if an attack was provoked..."  
  
"Dr Jumba," the Councilwoman said harshly. "It does not take a genetic scientist to know what he's done. He was arround two squads of soldiers the night of his capture, cruisers exploded, plasma flew. People died. 626 would be best locked away untill he can be dealt with properly."  
  
"What, throw him in a prison cell and forget about him? Or put him in that protien preservation liquid, so he can become mad and even more psychotic?"  
  
"The field of cryogenics had become increasingly popular, no mental awareness or aging. Just peacefull sleep. Thousands of years can be gone in an instant. Or perhaps a memory wipe, make him a law abiding citizen."  
  
"The memory wipe could be more dangerous than giving him controll of a battle cruiser brigade and a box of intoxicating drugs. 626 has come 'programmed' with memory, how to react in situations depending on what he thinks should be done. To delete this would be catasrophic. He would revert to his genetic coding, which is to wipe the planet clean of life and move on. He'd be unstoppable. I made him to have two personalities, one that craves death, destruction, but his other consciouness keeps his violent one in check, always warring."  
  
"Then what if we delete the phychotic side, destroy the bad side? That would fix it."  
  
Jumba shook his head. "The two personalities have become entangled, like pouring two different waters into one jar, you can't remove the bed without taking some good along. You might as well wipe him if you want to try that."  
  
Jumba saw that the Councilwoman wanted desperately to save 626 from anything, to try and make him behave, but he knew that it was all but impossible. Niether said anymore on this subject.  
  
Gantu took his turn to speak, besides all the political stuff was over, now it was down to the military action. "From the files we reviewed it seems that 626 isn't the only active experiment, there are two others still out there. Experiments number 625 and 327. And to get to the point, where are they?"  
  
Jumba sat back in a seeming comfortably way, a smug look upon his large face. "As you can tell from previous experiences, that they have a mind of thier own and thier actions follow what thier minds think. As of 327 and 625, I have no idea thier where abouts. But I am pretty sure that they were frozen in the cryo tubes, which now are lost."  
  
"You lie!" Gantu snarled. "We've recovered the ship you outfitted for the pods. The two experiments were not aboard. They are the only two unaccounted for. I suggest you tell the truth, or a different experiment of yours could get hurt." he motioned toward 626.  
  
"Before I go any further, what have you done with the rest of my experiments? You haven't thawed them for 'proper' justice?" Jumba mocked.  
  
Alkaldia summed the whole thing up rather fast. "As of the minute they were captured to now they have remained frozen. Untill we can be sure that they aren't wanted for any misdeed on any planet they will remain frozen. And from the current memory that 626 has created within the Council, they will surely not be thawed in my lifetime, or my nephews."  
  
From the table 626, through slightly cleared eyes saw Jumba nod, taking the explanation as a momentary settlement, but that was for now. He heard Gantu ask about 327, and Jumba dodge the question, but Gantu asked again about the mising experiments, this time with more conviction and anger.  
  
"Dr Jookiba. Unless you want the Council to take more of a stand on the side of imprisoment, you will tell me where numbers 327 and 625 are. If not, this session has ended and you will be processed and imprisoned before the trial." The huge sharlike menace knelt on the floor and stared right at the genetic scientist.  
  
To 626 the room seemed to get colder as time passed. Jumba had no answers, not specific ones anyway. He knew the approxiamte location, but not the exact. Silence was all that filled the empty room, no one shifted position, no one breathed louder than necessary. This was when 626 realized the effects of the drugs were beginning to wear off, the ringing in his ears was gone and the numbness that seemed to restrict him slowly lifted. Plans began to form in his head, crazy plans, none of them made any sence, but he was ready to do anything.  
  
"Where!" Gantu slammed his fist down on the floor, everyone jumped. But Jumba still remained silent. Recovering from his posture on the floor, Gantu was ready to contact the officer that would unlock the door and end the session.  
  
"He doesen know." 626 groaned, trying to push himself up into a sitting position. All attention in the room turned to the small blue alien on the table. Gantu was suprized, the experiment had been drugged nearly thirty minutes ago, not nearly enough time had passed for the drugs to wear off. He pulled his blaster and pointed it at him.  
  
"He wooden know. Noo wan will know. Yool never get hur." 626 said, feeling kind of foolish after hearing his voice, he didn't know he was that messed up. After struggling into a sitting position, he blinked, trying to clear his eyes. Slowly the fuzz subsided and disappeared, letting him see clearly. Gantu looked tense, gun drawn and shaking. 626 managed a numb smile, which turned out sour, his mouth still dead and slack.  
  
"Don't think about it." the captain said gruffly. With one hand he reached down and pulled the tranquilizer from his belt behind his back and put the plasma gun away. "Just sit quietly and don't try anything crazy. I've had this gun especally loaded for you, a quick acting sedative, and an even beter prospect, the side effect is a burning fire-like feeling in the muscles, very painful." he grinned.  
  
626 knew that the captain was itching to use that thing on him, watching him writher in pain and anguish would do nothing more than please Gantu. It was ironic, the two were so alike in every way, but they each hated the other's guts, ready to dance on the grave of the weakest side. If they were to put aside the rivalry the two could be a deadly pair. But for as long as Gantu sought 626's destruction and 626 sought Gantu's 'retirement' they would never see terms.  
  
"Since the little trog seems to know where the other experiments are, we should ask him." Gantu edged closer to 626, but wary of him, keeping his huge finger on the trigger. "Do I have to ask, or you will tell me?"  
  
626 shook his head and nearly lost his balance. "They are of noo concern to you. Theyave done nothing that you shood pursoo them like animals. You have me, isn't htat enough?"  
  
"The question is not what they have done, it is what they will do. They might come after you. They might follow in your steps, and destroy. We don't know, we'll never know. But I have left too many loose ends un-tied and have seen what they can unfold into. Regaurdless of wether they will do anything but live, or if they will become another 626 is unknown. With or without your help, I will find them. And if you tell me where, I just might decide to bring them in for questioning, and not for incineration or burial." Gantu sneered, knowing about the connection between 327 and 626.  
  
"You even so much as speet in her direction, I'll come back from wherever I am to haunt you. And there is nothing more enjoyable than watching your enemy slowly drown in pain, making you go through what I've been through. If I have to, I'll bring you back to life and kill you in hundreds of other painful ways. I swear upon this as Jumba is my creator." 626 snarled, He wouldn't let Gantu get to him, he couldn't let that happen.  
  
Gantu looked over at the councilwoman for answers, she only returned the inquisitional stare. He let his eyes float to Jumba, but he was so far out of this conversation that even he was lost. Gantu started thinking logically, where would they be? Was there even a palce for them to go? It hit him like a brick, there were only two places for them to be any way. A sinister smile crept across his face. "You wouldn't ever tell me, I know."  
  
626 raised an eyebrow, well the best that he could in his condition, trying to get the perplexed expression across. "Where are you comming from?"  
  
"You could never tell me, not even under endless torture. The good thing about you is that when you make up your mind, it's done, unless you change, it will never be different. But your body language never lies, what isn't said through your mouth comes through in your movement." Gantu thought aloud. "She's not in the cruiser, is she?"  
  
Now 626 saw what Gantu was doing. His heart sunk, there would be no containing it whenever he mentioned the place where she was. This was the final chapter, it would all end here, it would all end now, one way or another it was over. He flexed his arms, making sure that they would respond when called upon. Most of the drugs had been disperced through his system.  
  
"The Cruiser, is she there? Possibly hiding in one of the cabnets, or a secret hiding place somewhere in the hull?" Gantu pressed. 626 showed no signs of uneasiness. He watched for a few seconds more, still nothing.  
  
"A stash of weapons somewhere, in a building. Somewhere in a building where you've hidden supplies because you knew this would happen. Is that it?"  
  
626 moved a little, shifting for when he was ready. Gantu grinned, he was finally getting somewhere.  
  
"A hidden supply of food and weapons, on the planet? On the ship? The forest?" he paused, waiting for a reaction. But recieved none. "In a building close to the lab? Somewhere near the lab?" 626 knew he was so close to where she was, he tried to continue looking straight at Gantu, tried not to move.  
  
Gantu continued to watch the small experiment, waiting for the sign that would give him the upper hand in ginding the missing experiments. Slowly he was edging toward the lab, not fully going to mention it, but get real close then leave the area and start naming off other places. He expected the responce from 626 after he left the lab would be a bodily 'sigh' and a continued expression of easiness.  
  
"The lab? Is she there, hiding somewhere umong the rooms? No, that would be the first place I'd look, only a complete moron would tell anyone to hide there." Gantu watched the feedback, 626 started moving during the first part of the speech, but calmed down and remained still after the later part. A smile crept across his face, now he knew where 327 was.  
  
"Thank you for your cooperation 626. I think this session is over. After I've collected 327 and 625, the'll be joining you soon. And untill the Trial, we will need you no longer." Gantu said calmly. He turned his head to the Councilwoman, awaiting her approval, she nodded. There was no more that could be said today.  
  
626 panicked, 327 was no longer safe. He had to get out there and stop Gantu, he had to stop Gantu here. Although no spoken words were exchanged between the sharlike alien and the Councilwoman, he knew what was going down. He tried to balance on his feet, still realizing that the drugs weren't fully gone, he tipped a bit before getting a good footing. Attacking Gantu would be suicide, but he'd had crazier ideas.  
  
Gantu saw 626 stand up, whatever he was going to try wouldn't work. He aimed the tranquilizer gun and fired.  
  
626 heard a 'psshhht' of a dart. He jumped over the projectile that missed and shattered against the wall. He knew he had to move now. As Gantu reloaded the gun, 626 ran over to the door and stuck his paws under the small crack and tired lifting. Metal gears ground and snapped, the door moved up one inch, not enough.  
  
Gantu smalled another air cilyndar into the gun and pulled the slide back to load another dart. He let the slide slam and a liquid trickled down his hand. He looked down, astonished, the dart had gotten caught in the chamber and the side wall of the inside and broke. He cursed his luck and began rapidly cleaning the gun out, racing against the clock.  
  
The second set of gears broke, raising hte door another inch but it still wasn't enough. While Gantu was fiddling with the gun 626 pulled harder, trying to speed up the process. Te third set of gears and hydrolic lifts broke, and the alarm was rung off. Lights turned from the regular white hue to a flashing red and yellow. Another set of gears, three inches, nearly there.  
  
Over the noise of the ringing alarms he couldn't hear the second round being fired. He felt a pressure in the back, followed by a sensation of heat. The heat slowly blossomed into a pain, causing him to reel over and fall to the ground. His back went numb, then stung with fire. Slowly the poisin worked it was to his heart, then things got worse. The heart began distributing the tranquilizer to the rest of his body. A paralizing burn and searing pain shot through his entire small stature, he was in too much pain to cry out, and too far into the sedation to move. Now he was royaly screwed.  
  
"Aww, you whouldn't have done that." Gantu said in a mocking like voice. "Then you wouldn't be in so much pain. But now it's all over. The Council will see your case in two days. The tranquilizer would have been worn off by then."  
  
Both the Councilwoman and Jumba could hear the joyous tone in Gantu's voice, it was small, but present. Jumba shivered at the thought of the two being alone, it was something that shouldn't happen. He only could hope that 626 would be sent somewhere away from Gantu. That was all he could hope for.  
  
Back at the deserted lab, up in the secret 'lounge' that 626 had built sat 327, 625 was huddled into a corner, trying to keep as far away as he could from the pink experiment's blind fury. She'd watched the entire thing through the I.R. scanner on the recon sattelite. And listen to the conversation through a primitive spy scope that could detect voices through hundreds of miles of space and the thickest of objects.  
  
But as far, 327 was using it to listen to the conversation between the four occupants in the room. Now the session was over. 626 tired something stupid that got him hurt. But she didn't see it that way, he was trying to protect her at all costs. He'd never tell anyone where she was, 626 would even die to keep her where abouts a secret. But then Gantu said something about retrieving her and 625.  
  
She let the thought slip from her mind, 626 was going back to his cell in the detention center and Jumba was going nack to wherever he was being held. 327 made sure that he was heading back to the cell, she was relieved when they threw him back into the small cell, this time he was uncuffed and they also threw another object in with him. Now with that over, she could snag another few hours rest untill they moved him closer to the Hall of Elders.  
  
She kicked back in the seat and sighed. 625 had been unusually quiet, she didn't want to look over to see what he was doing. A disgusting, but pleasing thouhht entered her mind, what if he was dead? Oh well. After adjusting the suit she'd borrowed from 626, she fell into a deep sleep.  
  
After what only felt like three minutes, 327 pushed herself up and groaned. Her body was racked with stiffness and sore from sitting on one place for hours. Stretching felt good, untill she got comfortable again, then wanted to drift back off into sleep.  
  
The pink experiment checked the clock on the computer, after a quick mental computation she gasped. She'd been asleep for neary thirty six hours- nearly the legnth of a Turian day. Panicking, she rapidly checked the cell where 626 was. To her great relief, 626 was still inside and from the looks of it he hadn't moved. With the ammount of time she'd been asleep, she figured something would have happened by now.  
  
She estimated that from the time, nearly two days ago, that there was only a few hours before the Council would gather, and 626's fate would be decided. Now she would begin the arguous task of hacking into the Hall of Elders video system, so she could watch the whole thing. As of now, that was the most important part, to find out where 626 was going, from there 327 could work her way toward him.  
  
"I'm hungry." called a voice from the back of the room. It could only be one person, experiment number 625. "I'm hungry." he called again, more distressed this time.  
  
"Shut up, I don't have time for you now." the pink experiment in the chair growled. The pitiful reply came back, as she expected.  
  
"You're hungry too. You have been sitting in that chair for nearly a week, starving yourself to death. How do you expect to help 626 when you are half dead?" 625 verbally fought back, it was nearly the only way he knew how to fight anyway.  
  
At the mention that 625 thought she was hungry, 327's stomach seemed to heave a the blightent emptyness inside. He was right, she was hungry, but she hadn't noticed it because of 626, that was more important than eating at the time. But now it was several hours before 626 would move, she had enough time to get a bit to eat.  
  
"I guess you're right. it has been a while since I've eaten. Maybe we could scrounge something up. But we can't be gone for too long, I still have to do several things on the computer. After that we move out." 327 said, after getting up and stretching the kinks out of her system. When he heard this, 625's face lit up. Finally, something to eat.  
  
The two small experiments exited from the secret area in the roof of the lab and went first into the kitchen to find something. But the kitchen had already been picked clean, even the hidden dried foods put away for safekeeping. Jumba's area of the lab was empty, they would have to find food elsewhere.  
  
From the kitchen, they ventured into the octagonal room that devided the labs into sections. But as soon as 327 looked outside the door of Jumba's lab, she knew immediately there was something up. The room was too bright, it smelled wierd, any of these things could have been amiss. But 327's attention was turned somewhere else.  
  
Scientists each had thier own labs in which they could conduct thier business, each nearly the same layout as the last. Security in these labs was tight, cameras, gaurds, and so on. The huge locking security doors, they were supposed to be locked down beyond the stregnth of opening them manually.  
  
Now these doors were hanging open and agape. Light came though, making the room in which they stood bigger and brighter. No sound of the generators, the air scrubbers, the noisy computers whirring in some locked room. The entire comlex was dead.  
  
"They're gone, all of them." 327 commented, to herself because she was sure 625 was totally out of it.  
  
"Who's gone? What are you talking about?" the aquamarine experiment asked.  
  
"The other scientists in the complex. Gone. Up and disappeared. It wasn't like this before we got here. They just left recently, withing the past hour I guess." She turned to 625, "Was there anything going on while I was asleep?"  
  
He shook his head. "Nothing that was worth being noted. Some shouting, mostly about getting out of the lab as fast as possible. That's about it. Why?"  
  
"Something is wrong. It doesn't make sence. Jumba was the only one who was experimenting on the genetic level. There is no way that they were arrested." 327 started laughing. 625 gave her a look of doubt and uncertainty. "I'm beginning to think like 626. Making everything look like a threat, and treat it accordingly. This is stupid, there is probably a resonable explanation for this. I've been thinking too hard. Let's just get something to eat."  
  
Without further hesitation, the two left the complex and headed to a place where they could get something to eat.  
  
With the little ammount of credits that 327 had the two managed to scrounge up enough to keep them full for a few hours. But with or without the credits they would have gotten something to eat. An hour had passed since they had left the lab and they started to work thier way back, hauling all the food they bought.  
  
When approaching the door to the complex, 327 noticed a piece of paper taped to the door, higher than she could see when they walked out. As they got closer she knew what it was. Her heart sunk, it was a conviction notice, they were going to level the building after, she paused and read more, after yeaterday's date they were going to level the complex. And with the hastiness that the scientists left, she knew they wanted to blow the place down as soon as possible.  
  
But not now, she was so close to finding where they intended to take 626. She couldn't let them do it, not yet. She dropped the bag of food and bolted inside, and up to the room above Jumba's lab, she hoped they hadn't began the bombing rum, it was too early.  
  
625 was confused by what 327 did. He shrugged and picked up the bag from the ground, and obliviously walked into the lab. He was sure it was nothing.  
  
327 tried to download everything she could into her hand-held. She knew that they could already be halfway here to blow the place up. Her only hope was to get out the building as fast as possible. She was halfway done when 625 came up the ladder.  
  
"What was that about?" the lazy experiment asked innocently.  
  
"They're going to blow this place up! And I haven't found out where 626 is going to be sent! It can't end yet!" she shouted in frustration.  
  
"It's not like they are comming now, it could be tomorrow, maybe tonight. Not likely withing the next few minutes." 625 tried to calm her. He pulled a loaf of bread from the bag and started to eat the end.  
  
327 was feeling like she was going a thousand lighyears an hour. Nothing made sence, even trying to download the data into her hand-held was confusing although she'd had done it hundreds of times before. She couldn't get it right, it was like a dream where you just had to push a button and it would all end, but she weighed a thousand pounds and was nearly dead, everything seemed to go impossibly slow no matter how fast she moved.  
  
As if on accident the video feed from the Hall of Elder's main gathering room turned on, all the audio feed was comming in as well, but there was no sound. 327 stopped. The wall covering seats were empty, except the early councilors from nearby planets, but they didn't seem to mind the two figures on the platform jutting out of the wall into the air.  
  
A huge figure with arms across the chest looked down at the smaller almost puny sized alien standing right by him. 327 immediately recognized them as Gantu and the Grand CouncilWoman, they just looked at eachother. Then she heard voices, but from the video feed they were late for when they spoke, the tuning was off.  
  
"And of 327 and 625, I explicitly recall you saying that you'd have them before the trial today. Yet I have to see them." The councilwoman said, obviously harshly by the way Gantu cringed.  
  
"We tried to get them, but they had the lab heavily fortified. Nothing could get them out. We leveled the complex just three minutes ago. They didn't survive."  
  
"Gantu, I am thouroughly disappointed in you." she shook her head.  
  
With that being said, the computer went out, the lights shut off and the room was thrown in total darkness. Goosebumps raised along 327's neck, there was only one thing she could think of. They would always turn off the power to a building before they raised it to the ground. Adrenaline shot through her veins, she froze, there was no time left to think. Then it happened.  
  
The faint sound of a military bomber droned through the complex. The chilling sound that rumbled in 327's heart, the same that soldiers on the opposing side get when they realize what is going to happen, and there is no escape.  
  
Two seconds passed before something happened. The floor on which the two experiments stood heaved up in a roar, sending them into the air, everything disappeared. Flaming hot air passed by her, her breath in felt like lava in her lungs, burning up. A strange feeling of icy cold passed over her, the suction of the air before the second and final blast. 327 couldn't tell what heppened next, the light flashing or the pressure of the blast, but whatever happened, she went black.  
  
Darfinis Maurader stood at the helm of his personal ship. It wasn't the best fighter in the fleet, but it would send the enemy packing at the impressive display of fire power. But that wasn't important at this time. Now, he was waiting. 626 was now in the Hall of Elders, being tired for what he'd done. And if it were unimportant to get him he ould have like to see the little trog imprisoned, or executed by a laser, burning right into his heart. The extent of dammage to his assets for domination had been severly dammaged, hindering him to the point where having 626 was essential.  
  
But he needed 626 if he was going to put his plan into motion. Everything depended on it. And everything was in motion for it to happen. The labs on Pitstov were fully recovered from the beast and after they's gotten the Dna from 626 could begin full production. All of this because of Dr. Jumba and his research. After Alkaldia told the selected few in the dark room that she would have the evidence destroyed, he rushed back to the data dump and uploaded all the files he could. He only got hold of three hundred pages, but that was enough, to get them where thay are now.  
  
General Skeff had sucessfully been recloned and was now leading the knife assault. It was only a matter of time before 626 would be in thier grasp. That nuissance 626 had killed him back on the space platform. The General was stupid for underestimating 626 and his allies, although small but enough to pull him from any situation. But Maurader was sure he wouldn't do that again.  
  
After watching the lab get leveled by a bomb from high orbit, and the extent of the dammage, he was sure that anything that was living down there was dead. 327 and 625 were out of the way. It wasn't 327 he feared, only 625, because he was the predecessor to 626, and since he knew his numbers 625 was only one less than 626, and might cause some trouble in the future.  
  
The ship was brought up to speed and pulled out of the orbit of Turo that held it in place. For now he would sit at the edge of the system and wait. He was sure 626 was going to pass by.  
  
327 would soon wake up, realizing what had happened, and would begin her search for 626.  
  
Maurader sits at the edge of the Turo system, waiting for 626. What does he mean by this?  
  
I could tell you the answers.......  
  
But that's a story for another day. 


	23. Author's ravings, End Credits

First thing I need everyone to under stand is that Stitch, Jumba, Experiment 625, Gantu, The Grand Councilwoman and any other Lilo and Stithc relater matter aren't mine. But I wish they were.  
  
First a thanks go out to everyone who either helped by reviewing and praising, they made me write more and better, to appease them. And to the people who slammed and ridiculed it, the people who thought it sucked, I want to thank you to, because you made me push harder to prove you wrong.  
  
Special thanks go out to TookBaggins, The Great Red Dragon, BeBoots and {Insert name Here}. You all have helped in ways you haven't yet realized. All of you have kept me alive and in good writing spirits, which without I would have thrown the story out. I wouldn't trade any of you for anything, you're all my 'Reviw Team', well sort of.  
  
My eternal thanks go out to go Chris Sanders. For without him none of this would be possible. He has my eternal gratitude, through his creativity of Stitch he has given me the base structure for which to write on. {FYI} His origional plot for Lilo and Stitch was a bit dark, but had to change it a bit so that disney could keep it's under pg-13 ratings for thier films.  
  
Stitch is a genetic experiment who is longing for something. All he wants is to find somewhere where he can fit in, somewhere he belongs. Although Stitch's past is mostly clouded in mystery and there is no real scource for what happened before, the video game isn't much insight, it is all guess work. I have tried my best to create this, even if the idea of Stitch waxing someone is totally obscure and wrong to you. There may never be a real piece of work that is Stitch's official Biography, I hope this is the closest I could get you. My hope was to immerse the reader into a story that was believeable as any other, but with my own twists and turns.  
  
I am hoping to be a writer, from my work here and some other stuff that is not on the board I have made a foundation on which I hope to build upon. And all of your names will be in the credits.  
  
Unfortuantely the Lilo and Stitch board on ff.net is wacked, there are people bashing, slamming and ridiculing the greatest movie in the world. This is sad, I put in a request to make this board, so essentially it's mine. And it makes me sad to see this. I want to create another board somewhere else, away from the ridicule and milicious motused poeple. There are also some poeple who are just, ugh, not on the ball shall I say, they just don't write well. Even in several of thier fics I've seen minimal to no improvement, it's like they just blather.  
  
Lilo & Stitch is not just a movie, it is a film that changes hearts, dirrects the vision in a new dirrection, and helps people get a hold in thier own life by comming out of it and looking at it through someone else's eyes. The two have made people think twice, to reconsider things they wouldn't have before. Stitch in peticular relates to everyone out there, destuctive, filled with unkowing, and dis-understanding. But Lilo changes him, lets him see a side that he wouldn't have been able to explore on his own, without someone to be there. She showed him what it was to really live, what life was, and gave him two things that he'd never be able to survive without. Love, and a Family. Without either, you die.  
  
I decided to put 327 in there because there needed to be variety, someone who loves 626 because of who he is, and not just because he was able to do anything at every whim. She was the balance that kept him alive amidst the chaos, she was his relief whenever Jumba was not there, or he wanted someone with a deeper understanding of what was going on. The two are inverted, where Stitch is destructive and tends to be mean, 327 is kind and tries to make things instead of destroying them. So it seems like they would fit together, at least I think so.  
  
After Stitch: Experiment 626, don't think it's over. 


End file.
